


Escaping Darkness

by Rey129



Category: Guardians of Childhood & Related Fandoms, Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Púca | Pooka, Seasons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-06 01:05:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1838761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rey129/pseuds/Rey129
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>E. Aster Bunnymund had not given up hope of there being survivors of the Pooka Genocide.  He holds onto that hope for eons.  Now that hope has paid off.  Four Pooka kits have apparently survived and were brought to Earth.  The only problem is that they are under a spell that hides their true form, even to the kits themselves.  Not only that, but Aster is not allowed to approach them until the spell is undone.  One would think Aster would be a ball of nerves, worrying about the kits, but instead he has to deal with the spirits of four teens who are the Spirits of the Seasons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Unexpected News

Once, millennia ago, there was a song that filled the universe.  Soft woodwinds danced on the wind.  Percussions tapped out melodies and harmonies like rain water on leaves and the footsteps of a child.  Strings sent ripples across the stars while brass skipped across like a stone across the surface of a lake.  They pulled together in such a way that no composer could ever hope to mimic.  

There were no players or instruments creating such music though.  No, instead, each harmony, every high and low, all represented a soul, a living being.  These were not just any beings either, but the Pooka.  Only the Pooka were privileged to hear this song, as it was the only thing that connected each of them to each other.  Of course, other species had their own connections, but Aster never really cared to learn of those until he was dragged out of his self imposed isolation by North and his group.

However, today, the song that once filled the universe now only played a single tune.  Aster listened to the lonely verse as it trudged stubbornly on, clinging to some form of hope when there should be none.  That tune played longer than the planet had existed, all by itself with no sign of any accompaniment.  Still, Aster listened, hearing the phantom melodies of friends as he slept.

* * *

 A yawn filled the Warren as night painted the artificial sky dark.  It had been a busy day of weeding and watering the ei plants followed by sketching out some designs in between batches of chocolates and E. Aster Bunnymund was exhausted.  It was about 2 months to Easter, and the eier were just about to start blooming.  Thankfully, he only had to give eier to maybe a million kids this year, his group of believers still pretty small and mostly found in the Holy Roman Empire.  Aster was not going to point out how ironic that name was, since it was not really his business, but he couldn’t help but chuckle at Germanic humans claiming to be Roman and holy.

Little did Aster know, that night would be different.  He just made it to his nest and was drifting off to the familiar sound of his lonely song when he heard it.  There was a soft tinkling of bells accompanied by lilting violins and flutes.  The joy that emanated from the song brought Aster back to winter nights he spent curled up next to his brother, sisters, and dam.  Honestly, it would have lulled him to sleep had it not been for its mere existence, which caused Aster to forget all of his fatigue.

The Pooka shot up from his nest, ears perked to the song.  It was faint, much like a newborn’s laughter, but it was _there_.  After eons of listening to nothing but the same old tune, Aster could easily pick it out, his own tune reflecting the joy of its new companion.  Finally, he was no longer alone, there was another Pooka out there, another of his kind.

Unable to contain his excitement, Aster took off down the tunnel that lead to the most readily available friend the Pooka knew.  He didn’t care about the frostbite nipping at his paws as the dirt tunnel turned into the ice and snow of North’s insisted home.  Before Aster knew it, he was barreling down the halls of the North Pole, throwing himself into the former Cossack's office with no prior announcement.

“Bunny!  What is matter?  You didn’t even knock!” the heavily Russian accented voice called.  Nicholas St. North was already up and reaching for a sword.  His toy designs lay abandoned on his desk as his friend came crashing into the room, laughing like a maniac.  Aster would have complained about the name and winced as his lack of manners was pointed out, but he didn’t seem to care as he rambled.

“Nothing’s the matter!  It’s a miracle, an honest to Moon miracle!”  North relaxed and gazed curiously at his friend, rambling on in what sounded to be German.

“Bunny, why don’t you tell me what has your tail in twist, da?”  The Pooka nodded, and took an offered chair the Cossack had built specifically for him.  The former bandit was pouring himself a glass of what looked to be water, but Aster’s nose attested otherwise.  Glass in hand, North sat down in a plush chair and stared over his desk at the Pooka, his eyebrow raised in silent question.

“I noticed the most amazing thing when I was about to fall asleep.  Playing faintly was another song.  Another Heart Song, North!” The Pooka explained.  North’s eyes widened at this explanation.  Aster had explained to the Cossack what the Heart Song was a couple of times over the last two centuries after being filled to the brim with good old Russian vodka.  Of course he knew what the Pooka meant, but that didn’t stop Aster from continuing and confirming the obvious..  “There’s another Pooka out there.”

“You are correct, E. Aster Bunnymund,” a female voice replied.  Both Guardians jumped, caught off guard by the third person’s entrance.  The two turned to face her with their weapons lowered, but at the ready.

“Mother Nature,” Aster greeted.  North nodded at the young woman.  Emily Jane Pitchner returned the greetings before speaking further.

“I am sorry we have withheld this information from you, Bunnymund, but there have been other Pooka survivors.  A few, in fact.  It was just unsafe to reveal their existence.”  To this, the two Guardian’s eyes narrowed.  What could possibly make assuring Aster that he is not the last of his species ‘unsafe’?

“And why would it be ‘unsafe’ for me to know of these Pooka, Ma’am?”  Aster asked.  Emily Jane sighed and leaned back against the wall with crossed arms.

“Because all of them are kits.”  Aster’s eyes widened in surprise.  Not only was he no longer the last of his kind, but those few survivors were kits to boot!  So young and innocent, they would have no memories of the slaughter.  Emily Jane did not allow either Guardian to speak and carried on.

“They were born right before the attack, all of different dams, yet were born so close that they probably would have been raised as siblings.  Their dams seemed to sense the oncoming danger of my father’s attack, and cast a spell on these kits; one that would hide them from danger until it was safe to reveal themselves.  After the spell was cast, they were taken to a place to hide, where myself and Father Time found them after the fighting had stopped.

“The kits themselves were asleep by then, but the spell on them had yet to take full effect.  Father Time said it would not until it was time for them to awaken.  When I asked what he meant, he explained that the kits had entered a sleep which they would not come out of until they were in the safety of a family that would care for and protect the kits like their own.  Until that time, the kits were to remain in that sleep with the spell not taking effect, unaging, hidden from the world.  Hidden from Pitch Black.”

The news took Aster several minutes to process.  Kits- _kits_ \- managed survived Pitch’s attack through the sacrifices of their mothers to keep them hidden.  Now they were in an unwakeable sleep.  When those kits awoke, they would be raised as another species, not knowing who or what they were.  Aster just wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation, but could only bring himself to ask one question.

“How many?”  Emily Jane bowed her head.

“Four.  Three from the remaining clan leaders, the fourth from a close friend of yours.  Two bucks, two does.”  Emily Jane explained, though Aster stopped listening after ‘clan leaders’ and ‘close friend’.   _Azalea- Azalea’s kit lived.  Not only that, but Heather’s, Versik’s, and Rue’s.  Oh, thank the Moon!_  Tears started to well in Aster’s eyes at the thought of his best friends’ kits surviving the genocide.  All these eons he had suppressed all hopes and dreams that anyone had survived.  He never even dreamed those remaining survivors would have been the kits of his friends out of the billions of Pookas that once lived.  Aster felt unadulterated joy flood his system.  The realization that none of his friends survived had yet to sink in, but Aster had made peace with that fact long ago when he no longer heard their songs.

It took Aster several minutes recognize the silence in the room.  He rubbed his eyes before turning back to Emily Jane.  “Thank you for telling me, Mother Nature, and thank you for protecting the kits until now.”  Emily Jane simply nodded in acknowledgement before turning to leave.

“I must warn you of one thing before I leave, Bunnymund.  Manny has made it so that each will live to about the age they would be in their true form before turning them to spirits.  The transformation will not be like that of yours or your friends’.  Theirs will be painful, and will require a great sacrifice before they become a spirit, and even then, it will most likely be several centuries before they may reveal themselves without fear of being killed.  I know it will be painful, but you must not approach them about it until they are revealed.  I feel that I do not need to explain what would happen should my father catch wind of their existence.”

Aster’s eyes widened a bit, but then dropped down when he recognized the sense in this.  He let out a sigh before nodding in agreement while watching his feet resting on the floor.  Emily Jane bid both farewell and dissipated.  

Neither North nor Aster spoke, instead choosing to drink- water for Aster, something stronger for North- before Aster retired as his fatigue returned.  As he collapsed into his nest, he listened to the tune now playing along side his own.  It was so crisp and clear, so filled with joy that he could just feel a smile on his own face.

Over the years, he listened to the song as it grew louder and more complex.  He learned how the kits would become spirits when that first, so much like winter, stopped completely before picking up again that night mixed with confusion and loneliness.  Aster listened as three more went through the same process: softly playing and growing for a several years, gaining complexity and boldness before stopping and starting again the one night.  It hurt to hear such pain the kits went through, especially after they became spirits, but Aster knew he must keep his distance.  If he were to approach the kits, he would only give away who they were, what they were.  He did not wish to do that to those poor kits.  They were already growing more and more confused as the spell slowly weakened, letting long repressed instincts rise to the surface.  The kits did not need giant targets painted on their heads just because Aster could no longer put up with his loneliness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rey: Hello, and welcome to Escaping Darkness.
> 
> Lin: Yes, our blood, sweat and tears. Mostly blood.
> 
> Rey: Literally… Anyways, this is my first ROTG fanfic, as well as my trusty editor, Lin's. I, of course, will make comments throughout the story, and Lin will add in her two cents on occasion, but mostly, we want to hear your comments and critiques. Thank you all for reading this and I hope to see you in future installments!


	2. Congratulations! Now Get Ready for the Ball

Jackson Overland Frost was not hiding.  Nope, not at all.  He just enjoyed the view from this high tree that obscured him from view at the very top.  Granted, he wasn’t spreading winter in the Southern Hemisphere like he was supposed to, but there wasn’t much winter to spread down there anyway.

Jack sighed as he looked down on the cityscape of suburban Burgess, watching kids run around and enjoy the last month of summer break before school inevitably started.  It had only been two months since Pitch’s attack.  The winter Guardian had since learned that was more of a temper tantrum compared to what the boogeyman did in the past.  Now that he was a Guardian, Jack had been informed of the many obligations he was required to do besides protecting the children of Earth.  One of those obligations was the exact reason why Jack was _not_ hiding.

He was now required to attend the Mid-Annum Ball.  

Jack thought it over before sighing and corrected himself.  He was now required to attend the _entirety_ of the Mid-Annum Ball.  For the majority of his existence, Jack had attended the Ball, but all he did was show up, shake a few hands, take roll with Lumi before bailing.  This year, and every subsequent year, he had to stay.  Oh, and wear a fancy outfit that Tooth, Mother Goose, and North’s wife were designing for him.

“What’s got you down, Frostbite?”  Jack jumped at the voice that was suddenly beside him.  He looked down to see a familiar blonde-haired girl with hazel rimmed green eyes staring back.

“Aria, wha-what are you doing up here?” Aria chuckled at the frost spirit’s reaction, surveying the nearby area as if looking for someone.  A longsword was strapped to her hip by her signature dark violet jacket currently tied like a belt.

“Probably same as you, hiding from Ball preparations.”  Leave it to the former Knight of Spring to attempt escape from a mandatory event from day one.  Jack silently thanked the Moon for making him a winter spirit, of which attendance was not strictly enforced.

The two sat in silence in the tree, enjoying the late June afternoon slowly melt into evening as the sun sank lower.  Children were called back to their homes for dinner, yet the two spirits continued to watch over the empty streets.  Aria finally broke the silence just as the sun was about to touch the horizon.

“Congratulations on becoming a Guardian, by the way.”  Jack smiled a bit at that.  Trust Aria to bring a heavy subject up casually, which Jack was thankful for.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool.  It ain’t becoming a Season, though.”  To this, spring spirit just tilted her head back and groaned.

“Don’t remind me.  I have to wear a dress to the Ball.  Plus have my hair and makeup done.”  Jack raised an eyebrow at the other’s complaint.

“I thought it was like that before you became a Season.”

“Sort of.  I did have to do all the same stuff, only it was more a lot comfortable.  I could actually move freely in the dresses, my hair was just pulled out of the way, not done all fancy, and the makeup was simple and barely noticeable.  Oh, and the fact I was allowed to have my sword with me helped.  Now, I swear, Ju is purposefully trying to make it as uncomfortable as possible.  Did I tell you that for the last twenty years, she’s been trying to get me in heels?”  Both spirits chuckled at this.  They lapsed into another silence for a few minutes before Jack chimed in with a curious observation.

“You know, we’ve been up here for a while.  How come no one’s found us yet?”

“Good question, I honestly… Ah, merde.”  A force collided behind both immortal teens, sending them crashing down to the ground, which was now shaped into a lovely tunnel.  Jack fell in first, having been hit with the full force of whatever it was, and slid down the tunnel.  Aria followed closely behind him.  The ride was a short one, ending abruptly when both spirits came flying out only to crash-

-into a giant red sack.  Aria, being closest to the opening of the sack, started voicing her complaints first.

“Ah, zut, ça fait mal,” Aria lamented.  Jack lay uncomfortably beside her and groaned in agreement before voicing his own opinion.

“I thought the expression was ladies first.”

“I don’t think it matters,” Aria shot back, attempting to scoot over to give both her and Jack some of the limited space the sack offered only to fail miserably.  The frosty teen rolled his eyes and briefly surveyed their surroundings.

“Why are we in North’s sack?”

“Probably because Ju and North teamed up to kidnap us so we couldn’t skip out on the Ball?” Aria piped up while examining her beloved sword for any damage.

“You know me too well, Aria,” a voice replied from outside the sack.  “What gave me away?”

“I only know of three people, not including myself, that can make tunnels, Ju, and the other two don’t cause the leaves to change colors when near by,” Aria responded.  The captive spirits felt the sack’s walls push them closer together before lifting them up, causing them to fall on top of each other.  Both kicked up their fair share of complaints in retaliation, which the others outside the sack plainly ignored.

Muffled grunts, the shattering of glass followed by the sound of whooshing were the teen’s only warnings before they felt the unmistakable sensation of being sucked through a straw by their noses.  As soon as it started, it stopped as they crashed into solid ground.  The sack rolled a bit before coming to a stop much to the relief of the jostled passengers.

“Ugh, not again,” Jack managed to groan.  He started to ice over areas he knew would form bruises later.  The Spring Season was already attempting to worm her way out of the sack with limited success.

“Do I want to know why there was an ‘again’ in that sentence?” she asked, finally succeeding in freeing her head from the sack.

“That was so much more efficient than dragging them here myself.  I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner.  Thank you, North,” Ju said with a sigh of content.  Aria turned to glare at her Chinese friend after her legs finally cleared the sack.

“It is no problem, Juhua.  Sides, Jack said he liked it last time we did it,” North replied, looking very pleased with himself.  The remaining Guardians around him chuckled at their leader’s misunderstanding of the sarcastic comment Jack had made several months prior.  The frost spirit introduced his palm to his forehead.

“North, that was sarcasm.”  North looked at those around him in confusion, triggering more laughter from the three Guardians.

“Okay everyone, the Ball starts in only a few hours and there is still much to be done,” Ju called, clapping her hands together and taking control of the room.  Her almond eyes narrowed in on the two that were slowly inching their way to the nearest window.

“Haha, come on, Qiu, it’s not like anyone will really notice if I’m there or not.  Most won’t even care,” Jack said in an attempt to reason with the unyielding spirit.

“Yeah, like as you said, there’s still a few more hours.  I mean, it’s not going to take us that long to get in our dresses, right?” Aria added.  Every step the others came forward, she moved back.

“Oh yes, it will,” Ju corrected.  “You see, in the next few hours, we _all_ have to wash up, put on our clothes, do our hair and makeup, choose the proper shoes and accessories; not to mention all the cuts, scrapes, and bruises you both have on you that I will need to take care of.  So I suggest you two stop fighting this or I _will_ get Mother involved.”

The escaping spirits froze at those words and turned to look Ju in the eyes.  When they saw no hesitation, only hard dedication, both gulped and scrambled out of the room in the direction of their respective changing areas.  This left a very pleased Juhua with a group of very confused and slightly amused Guardians.

“Well, if I’da known that those two would go quietly with just that, I wouldn’t have spent so much time on trying ta catch ‘em,” Aster stated, staring at the door the two seasonal spirits just passed through.

“Oh, I’ve been using that threat for years,” Ju explained as she started to follow after Aria.  “I have followed through it on a few occasions.”

“But this make’s me curious.  Who is this ‘Mother’ that has those two are so afraid?” Tooth asked, fluttering behind Ju.

“Who else aside from the being that embodies all natural life?” Ju pointed out and turned down a hallway that lead to the women’s changing area.  The three male Guardians just stood at the fork for a few more minutes before shrugging and going down the other hallway to where Jack was hopefully already getting ready.

“Ya know, I still have trouble believing that the Mother Nature we know now is tha’ same sweet lil’ anklebiter I used ta babysit when her parents went out fer tha night,” Aster commented as his mind traveled back to a few occasions when the girl still needed someone to watch over her.  Sandy couldn’t help but nod in agreement before all three of them entered the changing area only to find Jack surrounded by a sea of frozen bubbles.  He hadn’t even set a single toe inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Incase you haven't noticed, Aria knows French and it will slip in every now and then. In this chapter, there was:  
> Merde- Shit.  
> Zut, ça fait mal- Damn, that hurts.  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
> Rey: Thank you everyone for joining us back at Escaping Darkness. Lin was so encouraged by your responses she decided to do chapter two!
> 
> Lin: So many edits…
> 
> Rey: We greatly appreciate your comments and love. Remember, feel free to critique us if we missed something. We love hearing from you guys. Until next time!!


	3. The Annoyance of Rodents

“Why do I have to wear a suit again?” Jack complained, tugging at the navy tie around his neck.  Ju immediately swatted his hand away.  She was now up to Jack’s eyes because of the heels she undoubtedly wore beneath her ballgown.

“Would you stop playing with that?” Ju asked as she adjusted the snowdrops Aster had provided Jack to wear.  The Guardian had since given up complaining about having to wear flowers after Ju pointed out she had her seasonal flower in her hair and leaves were pinned all over her dress.

Tooth fluttered around to make a few minor adjustments here and there on everyone.  To Aster, she donned a pair of tiny green spectacles that were apparently hidden in his old coat pocket.  The fairy actually took a comb to North’s beard and eyebrows.  There wasn’t much she could do for Sandy, so she just left him alone.  A bit of lipstick on her teeth and a few stray hairs were all Tooth had to fix for Ju.  When it was Jack’s turn, Ju had to remind Tooth not to get lost in his teeth.  Aria escaped only to have the May Queen show up and insist upon doing her hair ten minutes before they all had to leave.

“Jack,” Tooth called, pulling the frost spirit out of his thoughts.  The fairy was hovering directly in front of him, with- was that a comb in her hand?  “Sorry, Sweet tooth, but we need to brush your hair.”  Before she even finished, Jack was already halfway across the room.

“Wha- But I haven’t brushed my hair in over three hundred years and no one’s cared before,” the frost spirit protested as his back met with the very firm, unmoving expanse that was the wall.

“That’s because ya haven’t stayed at a formal event fer more than half an hour in that time, Frostbite,” Aster explained, setting himself down on the nearest couch.  Jack would have denied this if Tooth wasn’t bearing down on him with the wretched comb.  Besides, the white haired teen had technically stayed longer than what the Easter Kangaroo had claimed before.  Albeit it was rare, but still.

“Jack, I don’t see what your problem is.  Even Aria brushes her hair on a regular basis!” Ju added. It was clear she was trying not to laugh at Jack’s pouting face.

“That’s because my hair covers most of my back when not tried up and I would be stupid to leave it without a regular brushing like that,” Aria replied as she walked into the room.  She automatically made her way over to the nearest chair and draped herself over it with her legs dangling off one of the arms.  The May Queen followed after, with chidings for her to sit properly.

“Wow, she actually is a girl,” Jack commented, his mouth twitching up into a smirk.  The French girl responded with a growl at the white haired boy, which only caused his smirk to grow.  Ju rolled her eyes at the childish behavior between the two before straightening the orchid in Aria’s hair.

“Anyways, Frost, I don’t see why you are complaining.  You don’t have to wear a freaking dress!”  The temperamental spring spirit exclaimed.  She threw her head back with a groan as Ju, once again, slapped her hand for fiddling with her fringe-gusset-whatever.

“Aria, just shut it, it’s only one night out of the entire year you have to do this,” Ju snapped, finishing her own personal inspection before letting Tooth take over.  As the start of the ball drew ever closer, the fall spirit’s patience waned.

“Remercie la lune,” the blonde muttered.  Her discomfort was shortening her already fiery temper.

“Wait, Aria,” North called, drawing Aria’s attention.  “Did you not grow up during time which girls wore dresses every day?”  The groan that came from the girl brought out some chuckles and a glare from a now very impatient Fall Season.

“Now that we’ve settled how unreasonable and childish Aria’s complaints are, shall we all get to the ball?” Ju asked.  When Aria attempted to defend herself, Ju turned to her smiling in a way that, although sweet, threatened a great level of pain should the group to tarry any longer.  The Spring Season decided to go for the golden choice and shut her mouth.

“Right, we should get going!  Everybody, to the Sleigh!” North exclaimed, walking out of the room with a skip in his step.  Both of the more childish seasonal spirits perked up at the mention of ‘sleigh’ before taking off after the Russian Guardian.  Ju shook her head in exasperation at the three’s display.  

“No sleigh,” the Chinese spirit interjected.  The three instantly deflated, turning to look at her like children with their favorite puppy snatched away.  “I am not about to have all of my hard work be ruined by a crazy sleigh ride.”

“But Ju...” Aria pined while Jack muttered, “Crazy fun sleigh ride…” behind her back.

“No.  Now, a snow globe will take us there just as safely, if not faster, without ruining our clothes,” Ju stated, leaving no room for argument.  Behind her, Aster let out a sigh of relief.  North sighed but relented, motioning for one of the yeti to bring out a snow globe.  The Christmas Guardian muttered the location of the Ball and threw the globe.  The older Guardians and the May Queen entered the portal first while Jack and Aria took their dear sweet time.  Ju stayed behind to make sure the two did not attempt to make a break for it.  At that moment, the Autumn Season decided to do a quick glance over to make sure everything was in place.

“Jack,” the Chinese spirit called, addressing the now fearful boy.  Her tone was sweet sugar laced with deadly venom.  “Where are your shoes?”

Aria did not believe it was possible for the frost spirit to become paler than he already was.  Of course, she had been proven wrong before, but never this quickly.  She quickly gave her comrade a pat on the back before hopping through the portal, leaving Jack at the mercy of a very pissed off Ju. 

* * *

Aria already felt her eye twitching by the time Jack and Ju arrived at the ball.  As soon as she exited the portal, the May Queen dragged her off to greet the Seasonal Courts.  That was not the annoying part, quite the contrary actually.  She was able to enjoy talking battle tactics with the Summer Knight until all the Queens present began to scold her.  Eventually, she was reluctantly pulled into the standard Court Gossip.  Normally, Aria would be able to tune out the annoying chatter, but it seemed like tonight the group of fairies and nymphs decided to make an attempt at including her into their chatter as well.  By the time Aster came to her rescue, she was silently begging for anything to put her out of her misery.

“Looks like yer having fun there, sheila,” Aster commented jokingly.  The blonde just rolled her eyes as the two made their way away from the chattering annoyances.  The spring spirits chatted more as the two made their way to the refreshments table at the outskirts of the crowd.  Thankfully, it seemed like none of the jokesters had gotten to the punch yet, so they both grabbed a glass before continuing to the edge of the room.  Both leaned against the wall and sipped their drinks while exchanging flora tips when an even bigger annoyance decided to rear its head.

“There you are, Ianthe,” an annoyingly familiar voice called out.  Aria made a sound that was between a groan and a whimper as she dropped her head in resignation.

“What do you want, Groundhog?”

The abnormally large rodent stood before the two with his arms crossed.  He looked as much like his namesake as Aster looked like a rabbit.  Reddish brown fur covered the entirety of his body.  There was an everlasting debate on whether he was really fluffy or if he had just put on some weight since becoming a spirit.  “I came to talk to you about Winter’s Herald.”

Aria found it in herself to suppress the groan that wanted to surface, and replaced it with a sigh as she brought her fingers to pinch the bridge of her nose.  “What about it this time, Groundhog?  Just because I am a Season does not mean I can go after a different season’s spirit, especially one that is on the court.”

“You are too soft on him!”  Aria rolled her eyes at the start of the familiar argument, but let the rodent continue.  “I made a prediction for an early spring and, for the most part, it was followed.  But that little piece of frostbite decided to stick around, spreading his cold until Easter, and in my home to boot!  I think the only reason Hoppity here didn’t complain this year was because he was too busy dealing with a belief drought to care about it.”

Aster snarled at the rodent’s accusation.  Of all the stupid, uninformed pieces of- Aria stepped in between the Pooka and the Groundhog.  She spotted a familiar mop of white hair not far off over the rodent’s shoulder, but chose not to draw attention to it.

“Groundhog, as I already stated, I may not interfere with another season’s court.  And even if I could, what Jack Frost chooses to do in his territory is entirely up to him, so long as he does not upset the balance of nature, which he did not.  Now I suggest you stop trying to cause a fight and actually go learn of the latest news in the court.  I’m sure Jack would not like it if I were to attempt to fight his battles for him.”

A blast of cold shot down the rodent’s back, coating the glossy fur in a sheen of white ice before melting into the Groundhog’s skin.  “As much as I am thankful for you for attempting, Aria, it is unnecessary.”

“Frost,” the Groundhog hissed and whirled around to face the smirking teen.  The rodent raised a clawed paw, ready to rake the pretty boy’s face to shreds, but the spring spirit let out a small cough, bringing the rodent’s attention back to the ball.  The Spring Herald did a quick glance at the surrounding crowd, a good portion of whom were now watching.  Calculating the possible consequences to his actions, the Groundhog lowered his paw and backed off.  He cast one last glare at the annoying trio before making his way over in the direction of the Courts.

Now that the show was over, the surrounding crowd returned to socializing.  Jack stepped closer to the two spring spirits and greeted them.  “Thanks for the save there, Aria.  He’s never been very happy with me.”

“It’s alright, Frosty.  Sides, he’s been after me since before I became a Season about how ‘lenient’ I am on everybody, especially winter spirits,” Aria replied, shrugging off the thanks.  She glanced around at the guests gathered together.  It looked like most of them were present, meaning it was about time for all of them to sit down in the dining hall for the feast.  Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jack fiddling with something on his feet.

“I see Typhoon Juhua managed ta ge’ ya inta a pair of shoes, Frostbite,” Aster said once he noticed the winter boy’s fiddling as well.

“Yeah and they’re uncomfortable.  I don’t see how people can wear these all the time.  How come you don’t have to wear any, ‘Roo?”

“Kinda hard ta find shoes that fit a rabbit, mate.  Especially one my size,” Aster pointed out with a chuckle.  Over the past couple of months, the Pooka learned to ignore the names the teen Guardian threw at him.  They were always used in a joking manner, so they weren’t as irritating.  The idle chatter continued between the three for a few minutes before a large set of doors opened and a fairy came out.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the spirit world, your food is ready.”

As soon as the words were out of the fairy’s mouth, Aria kicked off the wall with a sarcastic remark of, “Yay, speeches,” and followed the crowd.  This left Aster and Jack alone to find their seats.  Jack turned to the Pooka and shrugged before walking after the blonde, not noticing the small trail of white petals behind him.

“Looks like Mother Nature chose not ta come again this year,” Aster stated as they entered the dining hall.  Jack gave him a confused look, which begged for an explanation.  “Mother Nature has only shown up a handful of times since Ju was chosen as tha Season of Fall.  Before that, she would make a big speech ta start the festivities, but now regulates that off ta Aria and Ju.  Most she does now is leave a little message in tha form of a flower ta show she isn’t completely neglecting her duty.”

“What’s this year’s mean?” Jack asked, seeing the Snow Queen sitting at one of the front tables on the exact opposite side of the room from where all the spring spirits were seated.

“Let’s see.  This year’s an iris, so that would mean good news.  Anyways, Frostbite, we should be heading ta our seats.”  Jack nodded in agreement before going off to the Winter side of the room.  

Looking at the arrangement of tables, the Winter Herald was reminded of that set of movies he watched with Jamie, about that boy from England that went to a wizarding school.  There were five long tables in the front, each spirit seated by season with non-seasonal entities in the center.  The ‘warmer’ seasons sat on one side and the ‘cooler’ sat on the other.  Behind the five tables was a table where the seasonal courts sat.  The Courts sat in the order of herald, knight, queen, and king for spring and summer and the reverse for the autumn and winter.  While making his way to his seat, Jack spotted the Summer Knight politely chatting with Lady June.  As soon as his eyes landed on the Knight, Jack felt a cold glare fix on him.  He glanced back behind the Courts’ table to where the Seasons sat and his gaze met Juhua’s.  Through that glare, she silently told him the horrors he would face should he go through with what was obviously going on in his mind.  That did make Jack waver for a moment, but he ultimately chose to ignore the warning.  After all, this party could certainly use some livening up, and the frost spirit knew the Summer Knight would be happy to help, with some competition, of course.

“Whatever you are planning, Jackson, don’t,” warned a cool, feminine voice accompanied by a drop in temperature around him.  Jack looked up to see, surprisingly, the entirety of the Winter Court gathered.  The Snow Queen, the owner of the voice, wore a dress that reminded Jack of blue and white cotton candy.  Her shawl looked as though it was made out of fur, but was, in fact, made out entirely of fresh, powdery snow.  With each movement the Snow Queen made, snowflakes were sent spiraling through the air.  Father Frost sat to her right, reminding Jack of that guy with the sideburns from that tried to take over that Norwegian Kingdom a couple centuries back.  The only difference in outfits, outside of the solid blues and whites only, was the cape that flowed down his back like a waterfall, dissolving into diamond dust before hitting the floor.  Both the Queen and Father Frost wore simple silver crowns on top of their ice white hair.  General Winter sat on the other side of the Snow Queen and already looked a little intoxicated, which translated to probably about five shots of vodka.  He actually looked like those old drawings of North when he was younger, if North had silver hair and wore World War I uniforms back then.

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Lady Lumi,” Jack replied, painting the look of pure innocence on his face.

“Come now, коротышка, you had same look as Дед Мороз when he gets idea for new toy!” General Winter proclaimed, slapping Jack on the back.  Any conversation, or continuation of, was halted by the chiming of silver on crystal.  The entirety of the ball turned to look at the source, seeing the only two standing Seasons calling for attention.  Both Aria and Ju had smiles spread across their faces, but Jack had a feeling at least one of them was faking it.

“Good evening ladies, gentlemen, and friends, welcome to the 1,841st Mid-Annum Ball,” Ju started off, giving off the feel of a welcoming hostess.

“We would like to thank you on behalf of Mother Nature, who, sadly, was not able to make it this evening but sends her regards.”  Huh, so Aria could manage to act like a welcoming hostess after all.  Who knew?

“Tonight, we are here to celebrate another successful year and to recognize each other’s achievements and triumphs.”

“Triumphs such as the successful capture of the centuries old, mortal witch Baba Yaga, which was lead by Summer’s Knight, Ochieng Kiangazi.”  There was a pause in the two’s speech as cheers erupted to congratulate the Knight.  Ochieng stood and bowed before the crowd in gratitude, glowing with pride at the cheers, before sitting down again.  When the roar died down, the Ju continued.

“Sir Kiangazi’s success is not the only one we must celebrate, though.  This past Easter, the Guardians fought and defeated Pitch Black once more, this time with the aid of the newest Guardian, Jack Frost.”  This time, the cheers weren’t so forthcoming, only consisting of polite clapping with some enthusiasm coming from the other Guardians and the Seasons.

“What?!” A screech rang through the hall, silencing what little cheer had accumulated.  The hall’s attention turned to the Spring Court, where the Groundhog now stood.  “What do you mean he was chosen to be a Guardian?  He already has a position on the Winter Court!  Most of the spirits in this room will never be given the privilege of having either title, yet that little piece of frostbite holds both!  How is that fair?”

Aria, Ju, and the other Guardians opened their mouths to reprimand the rodent and defend the boy, but an unexpected voice spoke up in their stead.

“Jack Frost was given both titles on both the amount of power he holds and his own merit, Groundhog.”  All heads swiveled to the Summer Knight, who was now glaring at the rodent.  “Frost has held the title of Winter Herald for nearly three centuries, and has never once overstepped his boundaries.  Besides, it was Mother Nature who had appointed him the role then, and it is the Man in the Moon who has chosen him now to become a Guardian.  In case you have forgotten, neither party has any say at all in what the other does and he is not the only spirit to have been offered both.  Nicholas St. North and E. Aster Bunnymund were both offered to be part of the Courts of Winter and Spring when they first became Guardians, from what I have heard.”

“Sir Kiangazi is correct, Groundhog.  Although we were not present when those offers were made, we know of them.” Ju agreed, drawing attention away from the two seasonal spirits who now looked ready to have a brawl.

“Also,” Aria continued, flexing her hands behind her back, “even if we were to agree with the seeming unfairness of the choosing, we have no say in what either Belle-Mère or the Man in the Moon do or who they choose; especially if the one they choose is outside of our court, Groundhog.”

The Groundhog stood there for a few moments, looking ready to explode into a flurry of protests.  Thankfully, none came and the rodent stiffly returned to his seat, shooting a glare at each of the young seasonal spirits.  Ju heaved a short sigh before addressing the crowd of gathered spirits once more.  “Now that there are no more complaints on Jack Frost’s titles, let us enjoy this bountiful feast that the Autumn Court is so generous to provide!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aria's French:  
> Remercie la lune- Thank the Moon!  
> Belle-Mère- What Aria calls Mother Nature, it means Step-Mother
> 
> Russian:  
> коротышка- Runt  
> Дед Мороз- Santa  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
> Rey: Here is the long awaited new chapter!! Lin, do you have any comments *pokes with stick*
> 
> Lin: *dead*
> 
> Rey: Well, should have seen this coming, with how long this chapter was. Oh well, much love!!


	4. "Good" News

The food was pretty good, to say the least.  Then again, that was an understatement, considering that the Fall Court chefs were the creators of the feast.  Aria could hardly control herself from downing the soup and bread as soon as it reached her.  Nope, Ju was not getting the opportunity to scold her tonight on savoring her food.

Out of the corner of the her eye, a flash of blue light streaked behind the court chairs.  It paused behind a certain chair before peeling around it and out of sight.  The blonde teen raised an eyebrow while mentally going through a list of possible sources that the light could have originated from.  It seemed that Ju also reached the same conclusion as her fellow Season, as the Autumn spirit watched the closest end of the table on her side, muttering threats under her breath.

Sure enough, two more blue lights, smaller than the first, streaked from the far side of the Winter Court over to where the Summer Knight was definitely seated.  Ju’s hold on her chopsticks tightened as Jack’s chair seemed to vibrate, though hard to tell from a distance.  A barely noticeable streak of golden yellow light rocketed beneath the seats straight towards the Winter Herald.  The light did not escape Ju’s attention, however, as Ochieng’s chair started to vibrate like Jack’s had not a minute earlier.

Aria had to hand it to the boys; very few spirits had enough control over their powers to concentrate it to the extent the boys were using while maintaining complete control.  They weren’t even looking at what they were doing!  Ju was far from impressed though, if the increasing chair vibrations were any indication.

After a few minutes, most of the hall started to notice what was happening.  A few watched, entranced by the power tennis match, waiting for the backfire that was surely going to happen.  Others simply tried to ignore the spectacle.  Several tried to stop the boys, though that just forced them to continue out in the open.  Aria was still watching while nibbling on a piece of bread, fairly entertained by all of this.  Ju, on the other hand, was not.  Her grip on her chopsticks tightened even more before a sharp snap signaled the death of one chopstick and the impending doom of the other.

Aria was able to count down the seconds before the second chopstick joined its fallen brethren.  Now twitching, Ju made no point in holding back and pulled two pebbles from the ground just below her seat.  The small stones hovered in the air as if being carefully aimed.  After a second, both pebbles shot off like bullets towards each of the boys.  Two yelps of pain rang out as each pebble struck their targets.  The now distracted boys failed to notice the trajectories of the lights they both released.

The lights collided in a flash of white, filling the room and blinding any who were watching.  A shock wave pulsed through the room.  Chairs and tables were shoved back, plates and bowls flung into the air, and glasses sent to their doom.  Food and drink rained down on the spirits to much outcry.  Jack and Ochieng’s chairs toppled over.  Instead of a loud crash, there was only a muted thud.  Curious, Aria peeked over the table to survey the damage on the boys.  What she saw was not what she expected in the least.

The boys sat up, rubbing their heads in what appeared to be beds of… flower petals?  They were all white, though the petals cushioning Jack were smaller and rounder.  Aria did a quick mental run through all of the possible flowers the petals could belonged to before her eyes widened in sudden realization.  She quickly glanced at Ju, but it was clear she already knew.  Nodding, Aria left her seat and made her way to where Ochieng was just barely registering the petals around him.

As the hall started to come out of shock, all eyes turned to the Winter Herald.  The Snow Queen delicately picked up her napkin and began wiping pea soup off her face.  The Groundhog was noticeably shaking as Aria made her way past him to grab Ochieng.  The Spring Season curled her fingers around the collar of his suit and dragged him to the Winter end of the table.  As the Snow Queen finished wiping her face, she turned to face Jack, staring down at him with an icy glare.

“I am very sorry, Lady Lumi, but I need to speak with these two,” Aria spoke up as the older spirit opened her mouth to reprimand the terrified Herald.  The Snow Queen turned her glare to the Spring Season but nodded her head.  Aria smiled politely before pulling both boys away, ignoring their protests.  The fairies at the nearest door hastily opened it for the three just as the hall exploded into a cacophony of complaints and shouting.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I deeply apologize for this incident, both the boys will be dealt immediately.” Ju’s voice was cut off by the Groundhog screaming for Jack’s blood just as the door closed with a solid boom.  Both boys stopped struggling, realizing that the more aggressive of the Seasons was the one most likely handing them their punishment.  Aria continued to drag the two further into the room before flinging them onto a couch.  She sat down in a chair nearby and rubbed her temple with a sigh.

Eventually, the tension in the room lifted, allowing the boys to survey the room.  It was an office of some kind, most likely used for meetings and discussions.  The couch they occupied sat across from a second couch while Aria leaned back in her chair, which was in between.  The wall behind her was covered in windows while the rest were lined with bookshelves.  The room was dimly lit, so it was hard to make out the details.

“Jack, Ochieng, do you two happen to have any of the petals you were lying in earlier?” Aria asked without looking up at either boy.  The boys quickly started patting themselves down to search for the piece of plant matter.  Finding their prizes, both nodded and handed the petals over to Aria who studied them.

“Plum blossom and lotus… Well, now we know what Belle-Mère’s ‘good news’ is, though I am debating about the ‘good’,” Aria said.  Both boys glanced at each other as if the other had a clue what was going on.  When it was obvious neither did, both turned back to ask the blonde what the hell was going on.

The door to the room suddenly burst open without any warning.  Ju strode into the room, a smile plastered across her face.  The Guardians shuffled in after her with looks of concern.  Aria raised an eyebrow, but held her tongue.  Tooth came over to check on Jack for any injuries while Sandy began to scold both boys, though they could not understand a single grain of it.  Aster and North leaned against a wall and watched the boys on the couch.  Ju sat on the couch opposite the boys, her smile revealing nothing.

“So, Aria explained to you what’s going on, right?” Ju asked, tilting her head to the side and folding her hands into her lap.  For what felt like the millionth time, the boys pointlessly looked at each other.  Luckily for them, Aria raised her hand like a star student rescuing her incompetent classmates.

“I was confirming if it was a false alarm or not and trying to come up with a way of how to tell them,” Aria explained.  She handed the petals to Tooth, who came to get a closer look at her findings.  A look of recognition crossed her face before she looked at the boys and then back at Aria, who nodded.

“Pardon my rudeness, but can someone please explain what is going on?” Ochieng piped up.  Jack nodded in agreement, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.  Aria grudgingly decided to take the lead in starting this conversation.

“Boys, can either of you tell me the significance of flowers in the Seasonal Courts?” Aria requested, turning in her chair to face them.  Jack gave her quizzical look in response.

“That’s easy.  Depending on the Court, certain flowers represent certain ranks.  In the Winter Court, for example, the snowdrop is used to represent the herald, quince for the knight, camilas for the queen and helleborus for the king,” Jack explained in a matter-of-fact tone.  Aria seemed to approve of this explanation.

“Correct, but you forgot one flower in your explanation: the flower of the Season,” Aria stated.  Around her, the remaining Guardians’ eyes widened, finally catching on what was going on.

“Wha- But no one outside of Mother Nature knows what the flowers of the Seasons are,” Ochieng protested.

“Incorrect,” Aria shot back.  “Mother Nature told both Ju and I what the flowers were when we each became Seasons.  Also, there are those who noticed that the flowers of Spring and Autumn match with the Chinese flowers of those seasons, like Tooth had, and were able to guess what the others were from that.  So you can not say that only Belle-Mère knows, it’s just no one has come forward about it.”

“What does that have to do with us?” Jack asked.  He looked around the room, hoping someone would tell him this was a joke, just part of the his punishment for the mess in the dining hall.  “I’m pretty sure what happened in the dining hall just proved that you don’t want me as a Season.”

“Well, we don’t have much of a choice now,” Ju responded.

“I don’t recall ever having a choice, Ju,” Aria pointed out.

“How are ya sure those flowers they were in were the flowers of winter an’ summer?” Aster asked, still carefully examining the flower petals.

Aria sighed before taking the flowers into her hand again.  “First off, the flower for Summer is the lotus.  It is kind of hard to mistake the petals of that flower,” Aria started off, holding up the larger petal shaped like a leaf.  She then switched hands and held up the other smaller, round white petal.  “Winter is the hardest of all the seasons to recognize the flower of, but this is definitely a plum blossom.”

“Bu-but I just became a Guardian a little over two months ago!  I can’t just suddenly take on duties for both!” Jack protested.  Aria’s patience had now run out.  She let the petals drop and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and index finger, leaving Ju to glare the winter sprite.

“That’s better than what we had to go through,” the Chinese spirit growled.  Jack leaned away from what he swore was a very pissed off tiger.  Ochieng, currently not the center of attention, was able to express his confusion.

“What do you mean ‘what we had to go through’?”

The room went quiet with this question.  The older Guardians glanced at one and other, considering how best to answer the question.  Aria’s hand slipped from her down to her chin to give the boys a contemplative look.  Ju herself looked ready to skip over that topic when Aster cut in.

“What Ju is referring to is an agreement between Mother Nature and Manny.”  The Pooka looked over to North who took over.

“You see, it is very hard to create something similar in power and strength as oneself without help.  It would have taken Mother Nature long time to create one Season, let alone all four.  Manny offered to help create the spirits that would become the Seasons on one condition,”  the old toymaker continued.

“Mother Nature wasn’t the happiest about the condition and added one of her own.  Manny agreed and the two started to work together on what would be the Seasons, which are apparently you four,” Tooth added.  She aimed a friendly smile at the two boys before looking around the room, silently asking for someone else to explain the rest.

Aria sighed before taking over, hands back to fiddling with her dress.  “As you probably already know, the Spirits of the Season’s are meant to represent balance.  Autumn does not experience that many extremes, thus Ju herself is not too extreme in any way.  Spring, on the other hand… well, someone needs to represent the harsher side of that season.  Our main job is to maintain balance and prevent spirits from overstepping their bounds and possibly harming others.  One such way is to go after the belief base, like Pitch did a couple of months ago. Now, belief bases are commonly made up of one of three groups: spiritualistic people, crazies, or the children.

“Because the primary belief base is, of course, children, that is the base most commonly attacked.  As a result, the Seasons, who are trying to detain the perpetrator, often have to work along side the Guardians, who protect children.  Manny, recognizing this, decided to just make it somewhat easier on both parties by making them allies from the start.  Belle-Mère saw the sense in this and agreed, but only if that alliance was to be used as a last resort and kept quiet.”

Both of the boys mulled over the facts presented to them.  Certainly what was said would explain some things, though it did raise more than a few questions.  Questions that Jack found himself asking.

“So wait, it doesn’t matter if that whole thing with Pitch happened or not, I would still be-”

“A Guardian?  Yes, even if you weren’t already a Guardian, you would take the Oath as soon as you became a Season.” 

* * *

 The remainder of the ball was not pleasant for any of the guests.  First off, the temperature in the room kept trading off between Antarctica and Death Valley.  Then there was the water on the floor to contend with.  If one was lucky, one would just step into it while it was liquid and escape in the next step before it froze.  Very few ever got that lucky and that was mostly because those few had some control over the element.

Aria would have laughed when she heard the Rodent swear profusely as the frozen liquid trapped his feet for the fifth time.  Instead, she was busy trying to think of ways to get the two responsible to stop.  She already ruled out knocking them out, taking away their conduits, or sending to another part of the globe.

“We need to stop them before they completely destroy the rest of the ball,” Ju hissed.  She had calmed slightly from the incident in the dining room, although her temper was starting to flare up again.

“If you have any ideas, I’m all ears,” Aria sighed.  She spotted the other Guardians mingling in the crowd.  Honestly, why did they get to socialize when she had to deal with three upset, hormonal teens?

“What?  You don’t have any ideas?  That’s new,” Ju joked, her composure relaxing slightly.  Well, at least she wasn’t upset enough to be completely serious.

“I didn’t say that.  It’s just all my ideas are long, complicated, and more for children than for two eternally pmsing teens with elemental powers,” Aria defended.  She normally had no problem with her center, until she got into situations like this.  Oh well, it made for some interesting ideas for future entertainment.

“Let’s keep it simple then,” Ju replied.  She paused to think for a few seconds before coming with an idea that she liked.  “You take Jack out for some air and I’ll deal with Ochieng.”

“How come I have a feeling you just want alone time with your beau?” Aria asked, grinning mischievously.  Her friend’s reaction was almost immediate.  Ju shot a glare at the Spring Season with a flushed face and muttered what sounded like the Chinese equivalent of ‘shut up’.  “Alright, alright, but if I hear a word of you two making out, he’s meeting Thallo.”

“I still can’t believe you named your sword after a Greek goddess.”  The sudden change in topic couldn’t be more subtle than a brick to the head.

“Belle-Mère thought it was nice.”

“Come on, let’s stop the boys before someone twists ankle, if they haven’t already,” Ju chuckled, shoving Aria jokingly.  The blonde nodded, tuning everything except the comfort of a sister nearby.  The two Seasons approached the boys, the water subtly parting before them.

“Hey, Jack, would you mind if I have a word with you?  Outside?” Aria offered, nodding her head to the nearest door.  Ju moved next to Ochieng’s side, intertwining her fingers in his, and asked him to take a walk with her.  He nodded and the two went off towards the Amaranthus garden.  The winter spirit pouted, but shrugged, following the blonde.

“Cheer up, Frostbite.  It’s not that bad,” Aria said, offering a smile as they exited.  Jack just scoffed and twirled his staff.  Aria sighed and dropped her head.  “Jack, I know you’re upset-”

“Upset? ‘Upset’ doesn’t even begin to cover it, Aria!” Jack exploded.  “Not only did Manny ignore me for the past 300 years, but now both he and Mother Nature are suddenly taking an interest in me just because I’m, what, ‘special’?  Because they have a use for me?!  Not only that, but the Guardians, a group I’m supposed to be a member of, are keeping secrets from me!  Sorry, but this is more than upsetting, Sparks!”  Chest heaving slightly from his outburst, Jack pushed his hair back and slumped against rail.  Aria sighed, kneeling down to the imp’s eye level.

“Jack, I honestly have no idea what’s going through Manny’s or Belle-Mère’s heads.  I stopped trying to a long time ago.  But I can tell you that the other Guardians never meant to keep this from you.  It’s more like they couldn’t think of a way to tell you and kept putting it off rather than anything you’re thinking,” Aria explained, attempting to comfort the winter sprite.  The boy didn’t even look up.  “Anything happen that you want to talk about?”

Frosty blue eyes met a warm green gaze before dropping down.  A heavy sigh escaped his lips as his shoulders slumped.  “It’s just- During the battle with Pitch, I got to look at some of my memories from when I was alive,” Jack said, fixing his eyes on the ground.  “I… I had a family.  Not a big one, just me, my sister, and my mom, but it was a family.   _My_ family.  One day my sister and I were skating.  We didn’t realize how thin the ice was and… it was just all taken away from me.  My life, my family, my memories, gone.  First thing I remember after waking up is being pulled from the pond by the Moon.  I heard my name and then I was just left to fend for myself for _three hundred years_ before the Moon suddenly decided to throw me in with the Guardians.  Now, I find out that it was some scheme between him and Mother Nature to make me the Spirit of Winter.  I just… Argh!”

There was a rustle of cloth and then a warm weight pressed against Jack’s arm.  “You’re not the only one with a story like that, Frostbite.  Ju refused to look at her memories after I told her my idea on why she woke up under a pile of rubble.  Me, well, my situation isn’t that different from yours.  One key difference though, was the fact that I never forgot.  I kept my memories when I became a spirit, and didn’t realize I had until my own mother walked right through me without noticing.  Belle-Mère had to drag me to an island in the South Atlantic to make sure I didn’t wipe out my village when it happened,” Aria said, looking up at the stars.

Jack’s head shot up to look at the blonde.  She had a melancholic smile on her face, eyes shining with tears starting to make their way forward.  Jack’s eyes dropped back down to the floor.  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Jack muttered.

“Toi aussi,” Aria said back.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before standing up.  “Well, enough of this sad story! I’m supposed to be explaining to you why being a Season isn’t as bad as you think, not depressing you with tales of years passed!” The energetic teen said, a smile back on her face.  Jack couldn’t help but chuckle at her sudden mood swing.  Maybe it was a Spring thing, but he could feel his own mood brighten when hers did.

“So why’s being a Season so good then, Lady Spring?” Jack asked, pushing himself up off the ground.  He turned and flashed the other a grin.  Aria’s smile grew even more before she twirled around, dress flaring outwards to show off lilac flats that matched her dress nicely.

“Well, first of all, you now have the ability to push you duties off onto other people.  I would suggest not using it too often, but if you are unable to fulfil your obligations, for whatever reason, the Court will take over responsibility,”  Aria replied, clasping her hands behind her back, automatically starting with the part she knew would interest Jack the most.

“Hmm, that sounds pretty nice.  Still have to deal with the increase in workload, but it’s nice to know that I won’t have to do all of it,” Jack chuckled, swinging his staff around in a carefree manner.  Aria simply shook her head at the display, the muscles in her cheeks relaxing.

“Again, I would highly suggest not using it too much.  The Courts generally don’t like the idea of having to cover for their Season.  Outside of that, you will experience a surge of power, since, as a Season, you are the actual embodiment of Winter.  Meaning anyone who believes in winter believes in you, and it adds to your power.  Ju and I have both noticed, that with this surge of power, we don’t need to rely on our conduits to help us channel our power anymore.  Instead, we use them more for making sure we don’t get out of control,” Aria continued, fiddling with a bracelet on her arm.

“Conduit?” Jack asked, raising an eyebrow at the term.  He heard it used before, but never really figured out what it meant.

“A conduit is something tied to a spirits magic that allows one to control large amounts of magic they would not be able to control without.  Your staff, for example, would be considered your conduit,” Aria explained, motioning to the wooden shepherd's crook.  Jack looked it over before nodding, understanding what the spring sprite was talking about.

“Along with the increase in power, you also gain several new abilities.  One is the control over the other Season’s elements, depending on how close you are.  For example, when I first became the Spirit of Spring, Ju and I were friends, but not that close.  We could only control one element at the time: for her: earth, and for me: water.  As time went on and we grew closer, we both became able to control the other’s element.  Now, it is kind of hard to tell what element was originally whose,” Aria continued, eyes alight with happy memories.

“So you mean to tell me that, depending on my relationships with you, Ju, and Kiangazi, I can become like Aang?”  Jack ventured.  A million ideas started flying through Jack’s head.  Oh the fun to come…

Aria laughed as if she could read the mischievous imp’s mind.  “Yes, you’ll be just like Aang and become the master of all four elements.”  The two laughed in mutual understanding at the inside joke.

“I’m surprised you know that show,” Jack admitted, stuffing one hand into his pocket.  “I mean, aren’t you supposed to have a ton of work and no free time at all?”

“Oh please,” Aria exclaimed, rolling her eyes.  “I find, even with all my work as a Season, I still have a lot of free time.  More often than not, I find myself reading or helping Aster out with his eggs.  One year, I just so happened to stumble across the show in North’s entertainment center.  Next thing I know, I’m halfway through the third season and Phil comes bursting in to tell me Lady Lily is looking for me.  Now, it’s one of my favorite shows, and one of the few that Ju says portrays her culture in a kind light, especially with all the philosophy.

“Anyways, off topic.  The only other ability Ju and I have noticed is that we can warp to wherever is in our season at the time.”

“Meaning, what?  I can just pop in wherever it’s winter?”  Jack asked in slight disbelief.

“Actually, yes.  Anywhere that is still in the domain of winter spirits, you will be able to teleport to.  For example, the two poles, no matter what season their hemisphere is in, are always in winter, so you will be able to warp there as you please.  North America, on the other hand, you have to wait until there is snow on the ground,” Aria answered, stretching her arms.

Jack chuckled just as a thought struck him.  “Wait, it’s always spring in the Warren, right?  So, does that mean you can warp in there any time you want?” The blonde immediately grinned in delight and nodded.  “How did Bunny take it when he realized you could get in without his permission?”

“Not well,” Aria admitted, giggling at the memories.  “He was so pissed.  Kept on trying to kick me out.  But, since I never hurt anything and even offered to help with the upkeep and Easter prep, he eventually just gave up.”  The conversation went on and like this for a while with Jack asking questions, Aria explaining stuff, both laughing a good portion of the times.  The moon had sunk low on the horizon and the sky began to lighten by the time they were interrupted.

“Lady Ianthe,” a fairy called, fluttering by the door.  “The ball is almost over and the guests are just waiting for you and Lady Qiu to start the closing speeches for the ball.”

“Ah, of course, I’ll be there shortly,” Aria assured the fairy.  She turned back to Jack who was smirking.  “Oh, the joys of being a Season.”

“And I want to be one again because...” Jack said in a joking tone.  He was feeling more at ease with the whole selection after talking it through with the Spring Season.

“It has its advantages and disadvantages.  I honestly like the ability to talk down to the Rodent when he gets to be too annoying,” Aria admits, heading back inside.  Almost all the guests were inside.  The majority of them were drunk, but still have a merry old time.  The two spirits quickly spotted Ju and Ochieng making their way to the stage where a band of nymphs were wrapping up their last piece.  The blonde glanced at the freezing imp and nodded her thanks before going to join Ju by the band.  Jack made his way over to where he thought Aster and maybe the others were, feeling a little better knowing he had at least one person there to support him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aria's Random References (not much French, but there is a couple of references she makes):
> 
> Thallo- The greek goddess of spring, protecter of youth, and one of the Horae  
> "Island in the South Atlantic"- Bouvet Island, the most remote island in the world  
> Toi aussi- You too, informal  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
> Rey: Okay, after one trip to the asylum and several trips to the ophthalmologist, we finally have this up!
> 
> Lin: *can't stop laughing from similarities between one conversation and the birds and the bees*
> 
> Rey: Looking back at this chapter, all I can think is "Exposition, exposition". Oh well, it's up. Sorry about the delay and thank you for your patience. *looks at Lin* … I think we need to revisit the asylum.
> 
> Lin: No!


	5. Boy Talk

“Oi, Frostbite, Blazer, get yer arses out here!”

A groan arose from the mountain of blankets, causing the whole pile to shudder.  After visiting Finland for an early winter dusting, all Jack wanted to do was stay passed out in his blanket fort.  There had been nothing but lessons, errands, weather reading, more lessons, and a Wendigo problem in Northern Canada.  When Jack asked Ju why General Winter didn’t take care of the Wendigos as usual, the Chinese spirit calmly explained that, since Jack was now the Season of Winter, he took over all the functions of the court.  Unfortunately, that also included the taking down annoying spirits causing mayhem.  Geez, he hadn’t even been a Season for that long and all of these responsibilities were being piled on him.  Then again, Aria did hint that this could be part of his punishment for the incident at the ball.

What this all led to was Jack feeling especially rebellious and uncooperative.  So instead of doing what he was told, Jack did the exact opposite and buried himself deeper into his sheets.

As Jack attempted to ignore the world beyond the blankets, something felt strangely off.  Why did it feel like the soft bed was getting farther away?  And why was there a draft?  Jack dared to crack one eye open.

The view before him was not splendid by any means.  Fortunately, it only lasted a second.  Unfortunately, the wooden floor was now in his face with a solid _THUD!_

“OW!  What the hell, Ochieng!” Jack cursed, turning over onto his back to look at the Summer Spirit staring down at him.  The dark-skinned teen stood at the door all dressed up in sportswear with his hands in his pockets next to an irritated Pooka.

“Nice ta see yer finally up, Frostbite,” Aster commented, his foot minutely thumping against the floor.  Jack switched his glare to the giant alien, raising an eyebrow in silent question.  “Get some brekkies and meet me in the Warren in half an hour.”  With that, Aster did two big taps to the floor before hopping down the hole that appeared, leaving some flower behind.

Ochieng stepped forward to offer Jack hand in getting off the floor.  “Sorry, Jack, but Aster requested I test my control over the elements.  I deduced that fire would not be a wise choice, an earthquake would have been dangerous for everyone else, and chipping icicles off of you would have delayed today’s lessons further,” the summer spirit explained.  Jack accepted Ochieng’s help and started dusting himself off while his friend quickly fixed his bed for him.

“Alright, so maybe wind was the best,” Jack grudgingly admitted.  “But did you seriously have to be that rough?  Couldn’t you have at least let me land on a pillow or something?” Jack left his room with Ochieng at a casual pace and headed towards the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, Jack, but I do not have enough control over the wind yet to be able to do that just yet.  Besides, I do not believe that would have helped wake you up,” Ochieng chuckled.  The boys continued their banter, reaching the kitchen laughing.

Grabbing whatever they could eat on the go, the boys started making their way to the designated tunnel area.  They passed Aria on the way, who was muttering something about annoying sprites who refused to pay attention to the Seasonal Boundary.  Reaching the thinned ice below North’s palace, they got to work.  The ice melted before them and split the earth open beneath their feet.

“Should I be nervous about you with that flame, Frost?” Ochieng asked, glancing at the little ball that was dancing in Jack’s hand.  The frost imp offered to provide the light, since the summer sprite was better at making sure their tunnel-bubble didn’t collapse.

“Nah, it’s about as worrisome as you using the wind to wake me up,” Jack responded, looking at the rocks all around them.  More than a few didn’t look very flame-friendly.  “If you’re worried about me melting, I wouldn’t.  Us higher ups aren’t so weak to heat.”

“Ah, so if that applies to the other seasons, then that must be why...” Ochieng trailed off as if finishing up his conclusions in his head.  Jack glanced at his companion and something clicked inside his head, something that caused him to smirk.

“Ya know, earth seems to be pretty easy for you.  Are you a natural at it?  Or are you just a natural at getting Ju to give you extra lessons between kisses on your dates?”  One could have heard a water drop hit a stone.  Ochieng’s dark skin gained a slight red tinge, as did the tips of his ears.

“J-Jack!”  The summer spirit’s voice cracked, although he would deny it later.  The frost imp could not stop cackling while Ochieng desperately tried to explain himself.  “We do not- it is not- we have not even-”

“Dude, Ochieng, please tell me you guys have at least kissed,” Jack gasped between laughs.  The look on his warmer counterpart’s face was absolutely priceless.

Ochieng’s blush turned a deeper shade in response.  “C’mon, you guys have been going out, for what, two months?  Please tell me you at least peck cheeks!”

Ochieng’s eyes shifted away from the snow elf, his face still burning.  “I am not at liberty to say, nor am I required to share that information with you if I were,” the summer season stated with a tone making it clear he was done with the topic.  Naturally, Jack pushed on.

“What, are you telling me that you two have done _more_ than that?” Jack grinned, continuing down the tunnel.  Best not to keep the grumpy Kangaroo waiting.

“I-I never said that,” Ochieng stuttered as his entire face flushed.

“True, you never said that.  But you never said you didn’t either,” Jack pointed out.  Ochieng’s reactions continued to amuse him.

“That is none of your business, Frost!” Ochieng snapped.  The fire in Jack’s hand flared up with the warmer season’s temper.

“Woah, watch it!” Jack complained, flailing a bit.  The flame calmed down and shrank back into a size Jack could control.  “You seriously are worked up about this.”

“You would feel the same if you had someone you liked, Frost!” Ochieng shot back, too annoyed with the elf to think clearly about what he was saying.

In an instant, Jack went rigid, purple-ish frost coating his cheeks.  His mouth clamped shut, not wishing to give the summer spirit anything he could use as ammo.

Ochieng paused and looked at his companion.  “Huh, so Frosty _does_ have a crush on someone?” the summer spirit teased.  Jack tensed even more, fighting to keep his frosty blush from spreading.  “Who could it be?  Tooth, perhaps?  She is sweet to you.  Maybe Aria, since you both are close,” Ochieng drawled, fishing for answers.

“No, it’s not either of those two.  It’s no one,” Jack denied, shifting his eyes to the wall of rocks.  Surely they must be at the Warren by now.

“It is not ‘no one’ if she has caught your attention, Jack,” the summer spirit pointed out.

“It’s not important.  Can we just drop it, please?”

“I am only trying to help,” Ochieng responded with a grin only 90% sincere.

“As much as I like that you two are trying ta help each other, do it on yer own time, not when ya’re late for training,” a deep Australian voice called out.  Jack jolted, feeling like his heart was trying to commit jailbreak.  The snow imp could not prevent the frost on his cheeks from thickening, too distracted by the sudden appearance of the Pooka.

“Ah, I deeply apologize, Aster,” Ochieng responded, oblivious to his companion attempting to calm himself.  “We must have lost track of time on the way here.”

“Make sure it doesn’t happen again, Kiangazi,” Aster huffed, looking the two boys up and down.  Jack managed to compose himself enough to meet the Aster’s gaze, holding it for a few seconds before it moved on.

“Gear up, boys, we’re going to be doing some sparring.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lin: Well, that was a short chapter. It could have been worse.
> 
> Rey: It could have been. But in this chapter, we get mentions of Jack's feelings towards a certain someone. Oh well, enjoy this short chapter!


	6. One Hit K.O.

‘Gear up’ apparently meant putting padding on arms, legs, chest, and head.  Jack would have asked where Aster even got the any of this, but after finding a pair of very sharp swords in the Tooth Palace, the winter sprite learned not to question what the Guardians owned.  It was safe to say the Pooka had everything they could ever need for training including padding for simple sparring.

“Why do we have to put this rubber stuff in our mouth again?” Jack asked, holding up the piece of rubber in question.  Ochieng looked over at Jack and shrugged, putting in his own.

“It’s called a mouth guard, Frostbite.  Now put it in so ya don’t bite off yer tongue,” Aster ordered.  The elder spirit stood by the ring that was to be used for the day’s training.  He waited for the boys to finish putting on their gear.  The Pooka was almost perfectly still, except for one ear that kept on twitching in different directions.  It looked as if it were listening to something far off into the distance.  Curious, Jack closed his eyes to see if he could hear anything.  The only sound his ears picked up was what sounded faintly like a drum in the distance.

“Excuse me, Jack?”  When Ochieng received no response from his friend, he bent down and picked up the remaining headgear for Jack.  When it was clear Jack was still distracted, Ochieng aimed and tossed the piece of padding.  Being as accurate as he would with his spear, Ochieng hit Jack squarely in the head.  Jack’s concentration on the soft music broke and he glared at Ochieng.  “I would suggest putting that on before we step into the ring,” Ochieng offered, pointing at the headgear in Jack’s hand as if he hadn’t done anything wrong.  The Summer Season was fully equipped and just slipped his mouth guard into place as he stepped up to Aster.

Grumbling quietly, Jack slipped the padding on and fastened it snuggly before joining the two.  Aster’s ear twitched and sent the Winter sprite a glare before clearing his throat.

“Right, today, ya both are sparring; no powers, no weapons.  Just hand ta hand,” the Pooka instructed.

“Wait, how’s that supposed to help us defend ourselves against enemies?” Jack asked.  Powers were the best way to win in a fight against another spirit with powers.  So why were they learning to defend themselves without them?

“Because there will be times where ya can’t use either.  For example, I know North occasionally runs inta people who can see him, but don’t recognize him as the jolly Christmas maniac.  As a result, he has had ta defend himself without his magic.  I have never had that problem, but ya both might, as yer both humanoid spirits.  And it also helps against spirits, before ya ask.  I’ve seen both Aria and Juhua take down spirits larger than either shiela with no weapons before.”

“I’ll admit to using l’eau for some assistance in knocking them off-balance,” Aria stated behind the boys.  All three males looked to see both Aria and Ju materializing out of… a mix of mist and flowers.  Apparently not even Aria could not escape the curse of plant life that plagued all spring spirits.

“Yer late,” Aster started, leveling a stern gaze on both female spirits.  Both winced and put on their best apologetic faces.

“Sorry, my fault.  I had to take care of a minor winter spirit who lost track of where she was and found herself too far north.  And then I forgot to take a snow globe with me, so I found myself surfing from about Cancer to the North Pole to get Ju,” Aria said, her head sinking lower and lower as she explained.

“It’s not entirely Aria’s fault.  I was caught up in the Irish harvest and just lost track of time,” Ju added, glancing at the Pooka to see if he accepted their reasons.

The older spirit just sighed and gestured towards the pile of protective gear.  “Just put on yer gear and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”  Aria and Ju scurried off to obey, grabbing padding and putting it on.  Aster turned back to Jack and Ochieng.  “Alright, while the sheilas are doing that, Frost, Kiangazi, yer both in the ring.”  Ochieng nodded and stepped up to one of the marked spots.

Jack swallowed hard.  He couldn’t help but start to feel a little nervous.  Sure, his father taught him how to defend himself when he was human, but that was with a shepherd's crook against wolves.  His lessons never included bare hands against other humans.  It just wasn’t needed.  Burgess was small and peaceful, and there weren’t many boys Jack’s age for him to make it necessary to learn.  The local Native American tribe was a good 20 miles away.  Generally speaking, everyone just left each other alone.

Jack thought back to all the fights he had witnessed in his centuries of being unnoticed.  Fighting didn’t seem too hard.  You just had to lash out with an arm or a leg and hope it hit hard enough to knock the wind out the other person.  A smirk twitched at the winter sprite’s mouth.  Yeah, Jack had this.

Ten seconds after Aster called start, Jack was on his back.  For a few seconds, Jack could barely see what was in front of him, he was very much aware of a stinging pain at the back of his head and it felt like someone had squeezed every last bit of air out of him.  There was a persistent ringing in his ears.

“Jack!”  There was padding before a thud and part of Jack’s vision was taken up by a dark brown face.  “I am so sorry, I thought you were ready!” Ah, okay, Ochieng was talking to him.

“Oi, Jack, you okay?” a female asked now, sounding a little up and to the left.

“Oh, will you two just let him breath for a second?” another female snapped.  “Jack, can you understand me?” Jack stiffly nodded once.  “Do you feel severe pain anywhere?” Jack thought about this for a few seconds before shaking his head slightly.  “Alright, I’m going to have you sit up, okay?”  Jack nodded again before he began to pull himself up with an arm supporting him from behind.  With some effort, his breaths came in gasps.  The frost spirit blinked a few times before looking around, the ringing finally lightening up.  His movements remained shaky and slow.

Ochieng was kneeling next to him on his right, wearing an expression mixed with guilt and worry.  Aria stood a few feet off, her head tilted to the side in silent questioning.  Aster was not far behind her, a faint look of worry finding itself on his face.  Ju was the one holding him up, rubbing circles on his back to help him breath.

“How are you feeling?” Ju asked in a concerned, almost motherly, tone as she leaned over to look at older season’s eyes.  She didn’t seem too worried overall.

“Like the yetis threw me through another portal,” Jack responded.  He winced as he felt Ju brush over what was sure to be a forming bruise.  So that’s where Ochieng hit him.

“And you’re sure nothing seriously hurts?  You don’t feel nauseous or anything?” Ju pressed, removing her hand from the Jack’s back.  Jack just shook his head, not feeling anything of real concern.

“Bloody hell, Frostbite.  I figured ya weren’t too familiar with martial arts, but I thought ya’d at least be able to throw a punch,” Aster commented, finally speaking up.

“Sorry, Bunny, but I can’t,” Jack admitted, looking down at his hand trapped in heavily padded gloves.  “I’ve never been in a fight without my staff or my frost, so I’m kind of limited to shooting ice beams, clubbing with my staff, and throwing snowballs.”  

“Wait, you mean you have never received proper training in how to fight?” Ochieng asked, shocked at the news.  Jack raised an eyebrow at the warmer spirit.  Isn’t that what he just said?

Thankfully, Aria cut in  “Ochieng, it isn’t common for people to be taught to fight unless they part of a warrior tribe or if their profession calls for them to fight, like a knight or a soldier.  As a result, those not in either group tend not to learn to fight unless their parents can afford lessons, or they pick it up on the streets in order to fight better.”

“So that’s where ya learnt ta fight before tha May Queen asked me ta teach ya,” Aster said, grinning at the younger spring spirit.  Ju turned to look at Aria like she’d never heard that before.  Aria just shrugged at all of this.

“Let’s just say there’s a reason why, as a kid, I almost always wore shorts under my dresses, all of which were also easy to move in,” Aria concluded.  “Anyways, aren’t we supposed to be learning something?”

“Right,” Aster agreed and turned back to the three still sitting.  “Since Frostbite here doesn’t know how to fight, I’m going to have Juhua go over the basics with him, got it?” Both spirits nodded, not really seeing a problem with that.  “Aria, I’m going ta have ya be Ochieng’s partner so I can see his style and how much he’s mastered.”

“Alright, sounds fine by me,” Aria responded, walking to the starting area which was… Wow, did Jack seriously get knocked three feet back?

The others on the ground got up and moved to their respective areas.  Ju had Jack stand with his legs spread like he was riding a horse, and had him mirror her while she showed him how to block.  She occasionally broke her stance and fixed the his arms.  Easily growing bored, Jack found his eyes wandering over to the advanced sparring match.

Aria and Ochieng traded blows and dodged out of the other’s range in a way that could have been choreographed.  Aria herself focussed more on her legs, whipping them out, spinning, and kicking, forcing Ochieng back towards the edge of the ring.  Meanwhile, Ochieng used his arms more, avoiding Aria’s legs and trying to get in close to land some hits on her padded chest.  Aria seemed to have caught onto his tactic though, and started blocking his punches, using the same moves Ju was trying teach Jack, all while throwing a punch of her own at the same time.

“Jack, I know how fascinating it can be to watch the advanced group have at it, but you do need to learn your basic blocks,” Ju criticized, pulling Jack’s attention away from the violent dance going on a few yards away.

“Hey, Ju?” Jack asked, noticing something off about the match.  “Isn’t Aria right-handed?”

Ju gave the frost teen an odd look before glancing over at her friend.  “She is, but her left hand’s faster.  Right now, she’s not relying strength to win this match,” the Autumn spirit explained as she observed the blonde’s fighting tactics.  The two watched as Ochieng shot his right hand out, aiming directly for Aria’s head.  The blonde spun out of the way in an instant.  Her arms shot up to grab her opponents extended arm, her left leg sweeping out to knock his legs out from under him, all while twisting her shoulders to pull his arm over her.  In a few seconds, she stood over the winded African spirit lying on his back, asking if he was alright.

“How did she learn to do that?” Jack asked, amazed at how easily she took down the Summer Season.

“Well she _has_ been trained by Aster ever since she was first named the Spring Knight,” Ju reminded him, impressed that Ochieng lasted as long as he did.  “She taught me how to do that move, though I’ve never had to use it.”

Ochieng stood up and thanked Aria for the match before the two traded tips with Aster adding in his own two cents.  Ju managed to wrangle Jack’s attention back by letting him move onto punching exercises, which involved hitting her hands for about an hour, give or take a century.  After that it was kicking, which was apparently a lot harder than Aria made it look.  Ju admitted that was partially due to Aria’s speed and years of training.

When Aster called them in for the day, Jack was about ready to collapse both from fatigue and frustration.  Seriously, why did the youngest of the Seasons have to be the best when it came to fighting?  Jack was older than her by over half a century and he couldn’t last ten seconds in the ring.

On the way back, it looked like only Aria had the energy to walk upright, though it was hard to tell.  Ochieng looked worse for the wear and quietly revealed that he now sported a few bruises on his torso from repeated sparring matches with the former Spring Knight.  

Later that evening, all four of them had nodded off during a movie North insisted on watching.  When Jack woke up the next morning, he found himself on the floor of the entertainment room with pillows tucked under his head while sharing a large blanket with Ochieng and Ju cuddling, as well as Aria, who was curled around a snoozing Sandy.  As carefully as he could, Jack wiggled out from under the blanket, trying not to wake the sleeping group, and went off in search of a camera.  He disappointingly was unable to find one before Aria woke up ten minutes later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lin: And so we finally finished this chapter, which should have been a cake walk compared to previous chapters.
> 
> Rey: Hey, it would have been up sooner, but then someone pointed out we were missing a somewhat important detail, which lead us to have a lot of debate and me to do ton of research, most of which will probably not even be mentioned in the story.
> 
> Anyways, the chapter is up, and it is sparring. And yes, there is a window of time where Ireland is having her harvest while parts of Finland get a light dusting.
> 
> Oh, and before I forget, l'eau is water, if not obvious.


	7. Come Fly With Me

Jack was in his element.  It was cold enough that mortals had to bundle up in thick jackets and cover as much exposed skin as possible.  The snow was 5 inches deep in this small Alsace town south of Strasbourg, and perfect for the snowballs sailing through the air.  Laughter rang out with a few taunts thrown in.  Aria would have understood, but it was unlikely the Spring Season would show up here.

“I’m surprised you aren’t joining the kids in their fun, Frostbite.”  Okay, so maybe not as unlikely as he thought.  Jack looked over his shoulder and paused.  There Aria stood, hands in the pockets of her purple jacket.  That wasn’t what made Jack pause though.  No, it was the night wear the blonde was wearing under her jacket that made Jack do a double-take.  Even her feet were only covered by house slippers.

“Are you wearing your pajamas?”  Jack asked incredulously.  It didn’t matter if humans could see them or not, almost no spirit left their home looking like that, if they wore any clothes in the first place.

“Hm?” Aria mused absentmindedly before glancing down at her outfit.  “Yeah, so?”

“Okay, let me rephrase the question: _Why_ are you wearing your pajamas?  You’re in the middle of a public park, for Christ’s sake!”  Jack gestured at the park surrounding them.  Admittedly, none of the kids there could see either spirit, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any local spirits passing by that could.  Honestly, did this girl seriously have no sense of dignity?  Or was she so confident in herself that she didn’t believe in what other’s thought of her?

“It’s tradition,” Aria stated like that was a perfectly reasonable answer.

Clearly the former then.  Jack could easily imagine blonde wearing one of those embarrassing Christmas sweaters and giving the same excuse with a completely straight face.

Apparently Jack’s thoughts were written on his face, as Aria sighed.  Her hands started fiddling with a strand of her hair while her eyes drifted away from Jack.  “It’s just- Well, no one in my family ever had to work on Christmas when I was a kid, so we spent Christmas Eve at my tante’s place.  In the morning, all the kids would rush to the tree in our pajamas, and we didn’t really allow the adults time to change before we started tearing into the presents.  So it just became a tradition to wear our night clothes during Christmas day.”

Jack’s eyes went wide at the explanation.  It was the first time since the ball either of them had mentioned their mortal lives in an attempt not to accidently set the other off.  Bringing up that sort of topic made the spring nymph look vulnerable.  Combined with her hair fiddling, she could almost pass as one of the kids running around them.  Jack took a deep breath and thought back to his first life, channeling his inner older brother vibe.

“I’m surprised you were able to keep up your tradition for so long,” Jack commented, offering the younger spirit a gentle smile when she finally looked at him.  Aria stood there for a second before a small smile appeared on her face as well.

“Yeah, well, Lily was the one who watched over me before I became a Season, and she understood what it meant.  Ju just gave up after a while, since none of the other Guardians seemed to mind.  North even gave me a whole collection of seasonal pajamas too.”

Both spirits chuckled at that.  Bunny was not exaggerating at all when he said the Christmas Guardian had obsessive tendencies, that was for sure.  Jack then thought of what Aria had said.  “Why would the other Guardians mind?  I mean, it’s not like they saw you, right?”

Aria paused for a few seconds smacking her forehead.  The frost spirit barely heard her mutter, “No wonder Phil sent us to get you two.”  Jack raised an eyebrow, which did not go unnoticed the spring seasonal and she sighed.  “Jack, you know how many European and New World based spirits celebrate Christmas?”

“Yeah, since a lot of them were Christian or at least celebrated the holiday while they were still alive.”

“Well, North is originally from Russia.  He is also Papa Noël, a prominent figure on Christmas.  Do you think he wouldn’t try to drag the other Guardians into his celebrations?”

Jack was speechless.  This was the first time he was hearing about this.  He assumed that North took the day off after his rounds were over, like Bunny did after Easter.  Of course Jack already had gifts set aside for everyone.  He had spent months of stress to not be caught off guard.  He just thought he’d be able to get away with giving each of the Guardian’s their gifts separately, but now he had to do so in front of the rest of the group.  Great.

“So you’re telling me there is a Guardian Christmas get-together today?  And no one bothered to tell me?”  Jack muttered under his breath, turning his eyes back on the children.  He heard another sigh from Aria, and a faint crunch of snow before the Spring seasonal sat next to him.

“Honestly, I’m pretty sure they all just forgot to tell you.  Tooth and Sandy never stop working, Bunny was balancing our training with his Easter planning, and this is North’s busy season.  Also, they have been doing it for centuries, so they don’t bother reminding each other.  If the thought to tell you Ochieng crossed their minds, they probably thought that North would tell you, since it is his party,” Aria reasoned.  “I honestly did the latter, thinking that North had learned after the last two times the Guardians forgot to tell someone.”

“The last two times?”

Aria giggled at his reaction.  “Do you really think he acted differently about Ju and I when we first became Guardians?”

Jack conceded.  “So, how did you find out?”

“Well, Ju said she found out when a yeti woke her up on her first Christmas as a Guardian to make sure she made it to the party.  I don’t know the exact details, but you can probably guess that she was not happy,” Aria recounted, recalling Ju fuming about that a few times.

Jack couldn’t help but feel his mood lighten at that and he laughed.  “That sounds like an understatement if I ever heard one.”

Aria shot the frost sprite a grin that just read, ‘ _You have no idea_ ’.  Her expression softened into a fond smile as she reminisced about her first party.  “For me, I got up on Christmas morning myself, wanting to enjoy some warmth from the Yule Log.  Sadly, on the way to the fireplace, I nearly ran over Bunny and Sandy who got there early.  They laughed it off and explained to me what was going on.  I wasn’t the happiest about being told last minute, but unlike Ju, I was used to having a celebrations like it, so I wasn’t too upset.”

Jack sniggered at that.  He could just imagine Bunny’s face when Aria, dressed in her PJ’s, rushing down the hallway and nearly bowling him over just to sit by the burning log in the fireplace.

“So you ready go?” Aria asked, standing up.  She brushed a little snow off herself before turning back to the frost sprite and offering a hand.  Jack took it and rose to his feet.  He kicked his staff up into his hand as he did so.

“You want me to warp us up to the North Pole?”

Aria thought about it for a minute, before mischievous smile formed on her face.  Jack wasn’t sure if he was seeing things, but he could have sworn he saw a tail flicking back and forth behind the spring sprite.  That must have been his imagination though.  “Nah, I wanna check on Ju and Ochieng, make sure they are saving their couple moments for under the mistletoe.”

Those words hadn’t even left her mouth for a second before Jack felt himself being blown apart into small papery pieces before being reassembled in a much warmer climate.  Looking around, he noticed he was over a near flat ocean.  The water occasionally rose and fell, warping the reflection of the sky above.  However, no other spirits aside from Aria were to be found.

“I thought you said we were going to meet up with Ochieng and Ju?” the frost elf asked, floating just above the ocean surface that the nymph was standing on.

“Hm?  Oh, we are, it’s just I can’t warp into Summer Territory, so I just decided to go to the border and have Ochieng come here.”

“And how do you plan to do that, exactly?” Jack asked, apprehensive of what the normally friendly Spring spirit had in mind.

In response, Aria simply looked up at the sky.  The frost sprite followed her gaze and found what looked to be a slowly forming spring storm.  “I’m pretty sure that’ll bring him here, since it’s so close to the border.”

“A storm, how… creative.  And here I thought you were trying to be subtle,” a sarcastic voice called from behind the two.  They turned to see Ochieng and Ju standing on the waves with Ju glaring daggers at the spring nymph.

“It got you here, didn’t it?” Aria replied, waving her hand.  The storm dissipated swiftly, no longer held together by whatever forces Aria was using.  “And besides, since when has subtlety been my strong point?”

Ju continued her attempts to drill holes into Aria’s skull with her eyes before giving up with a sigh.  “Whatever,” she muttered.

“Anyways, now that we’re all here, shouldn’t we be getting to that Guardian Christmas Party?” Jack asked, glancing up to look for the sun.  He didn’t know when the party was to start, but he had a feeling that it would probably be soon.

“Um, just before we go, Aria, may I ask you a question?” Ochieng inquired up.  Aria cocked her head to the side ever so slightly, which the summer spirit took as an invitation to continue.  “I do not mean to offend you, but why are you wearing your night clothes?”

Aria simply repeated what she had told Jack earlier, “It’s tradition for me to not change out of my pajamas on Christmas.”  Ochieng looked completely confused, but Ju told him to not think about it too much.  “As for the party, I think we have just enough time to get there the fun way,” Aria stated, her signature smile back on her face.

Jack perked up at the mention of fun.  Both Juhua and Ochieng also showed some signs of interest.  “‘Fun way,’ huh?  What’s the fun way?” Jack couldn’t help asking.  

Aria’s grin widened and eyes seemed to become sharper before a hand shot out, tapping Jack’s upper arm.  Before the frost spirit could even react, Aria was out of sight, leaving behind an echo of what sounded distinctly like “Tag!  Frostbite’s it!” indicating which direction the nymph ran off.

Jack stood there for a second, processing what had just happened before rocketing after Aria.  “I won’t be for long, Sparks!”

Juhua and Ochieng just stood there, watching the two Seasons chase after each other up among the clouds.  “Should we not follow after them?” Ochieng asked.

“We probably should, but…” Juhua sighed, her voice trailing off as she watched Aria drop several feet to avoid being tagged.

“I understand,” Ochieng replied with a gentle smile, hoping to quell some of the brunette’s unease.  Ju responded with a look of relief.  “If I may be so bold, my lady, may I carry you to the North Pole?”  Ochieng asked, moving closer to her.  Ju blushed before wrapping her arms around his neck gratefully, mumbling apologies as the African spirit bent forward and lifted her up.  The Chinese spirit secure, Ochieng took a couple of steps before following after the more energetic Seasons.

For the first few thousand miles, the journey continued as it started.  Jack and Aria chased each other, diving, speeding, and turning out of the way when their opponent came to close.  The two middle Seasons were content to watch.  Ochieng moved slightly out of the way each time either the frost sprite or spring nymph came too close.  Aria grew a tad bored of staying out in the open and started shooting from cloud to cloud.  Jack willingly followed after.  With the two energetic puppies out of sight, Ochieng relaxed slightly, though he kept an eye out for both of them.

“So, what is there to expect at this ‘Guardian Christmas Party’, if you do not mind me asking?”

Ju took a moment to collect her thoughts, thinking back on her previous party experiences.  “Well, ever since Aria joined, she typically wakes up early to relax by the fireplace before everyone else comes.  I mostly help out with feast preparations or relax by the fire.  Bunny and Sandy normally show up at the same time to swap tales, which both Aria and I enjoy.  Tooth comes a bit later with a little flock of minis.  And then North comes back from his trip around the world and that’s when the gift exchange starts.  After that, we go to the dining room for food, which usually results in a match between North and Bunny while Tooth scolds both of them about sugar and cavities.  Sandy just stays out of it and just drinks as much eggnog as possible.  Oh, and ever since the yetis figured out how to work the movie center, North insists on a movie or two after the feast,” Ju explained, a smile crossing her lips as she recalled all the fuss that arose when that new tradition was suggested.

Ochieng glanced down at her, his breath catching in his throat.  There weren’t many who’d say the Seasons weren’t easy on the eyes, but Ochieng would be hard pressed to think of any word less than stunning to describe Juhua at that moment.  The setting sun highlighted the smile on her face, painting her lips a deeper shade of pink while giving the rest of skin a more golden hue.  The glint in her eyes reminded him of coppery garnets.  Ochieng felt himself lean in closer, his lips a hair’s breadth away from her perfectly formed ones.

“Watch out!” A very cold but solid body collided with Ochieng, sending him tumbling forward.  In the commotion, Ochieng lost his grip on Juhua.  The Autumn spirit was thrown from the group and plummeted down towards the glittering and most definitely cold water below.  Someone from above called her name, and a purple blur shot past her.  A blast of wind pushed against Juhua, fighting gravity’s claim on her.  A pair of arms wrapped tightly around her, assisting the wind in keeping Juhua in the air.  The Chinese spirit clung to the purple sleeve covering her savior’s arms, eyes wide open as they were about to hit the water.

But the expected splash didn’t come.  Instead, the two stopped just twenty feet shy of a peculiar snow drift floating on top of the ocean.  A sigh escaped from Juhua’s savior.  “Sauf,” Aria muttered, feeling her heart hammering against her chest.  She released her hold on the ice below, letting her cushion of snow melt back into the ocean.  She glanced down at the snow, glad that they didn’t need it to stop their fall.  The Spring spirit’s gaze shifted again towards the hyperventilating bundle clinging to her, and was unable to suppress a shiver of fear of the near tragedy that had just occurred right in front of her.  A bone-chilling fear which Aria had felt only once before and hoped never to feel again.

“Ju!  Aria!” The two boys called, rocketing towards the female Seasons, stopping just short of running into either of them and starting the mess all over again.  Ochieng looked tempted to float over and check Ju over to see if she was all right, but restrained himself, much to Aria’s relief.  Jack’s face was a mix of fear, worry and guilt, probably blaming himself for crashing into Ochieng earlier.  Aria cringed, realizing that the only happened because she had just dodged out of his way to avoid crashing into the Summer warrior herself.

“We’re both fine, though I don’t think Ju is going to really calm down until we get some solid ground under her feet,” Aria reassured, answering the boys’ unvoiced questions.

Jack nodded before looking around.  “Well, the closest one to us is fifteen minutes away, and that’s just the ice shelf that North has his workshop on,” he said.  “If you want, I can just warp us the rest of the way.”

“No, it’s alright, I’m fine,” came a shaky reply.  The three standing Seasons turned their gazes to Ju, who was still clinging to Aria’s jacket.  She had managed to calm down enough to stop hyperventilating.

Both of the boys opened their mouths to protest, but Aria cut them off.  “Are you sure, Ju?” Aria asked.  “There is nothing wrong with wanting to warp to the North Pole” The Autumn Season gave a small nod.  “Alright,” Aria consented, before turning in the direction of the North Pole.  Ju’s grip tightened before the Chinese spirit forced it to loosen slightly.  Of course, Aria still noticed her friend’s tension.  “Do you want Ochieng to carry you the rest of the way?”  There was a few seconds pause before a hesitant nod came.  Aria sighed again before turning to face the Summer spirit.  She placed Ju in his arms, only releasing her when she was certain that Ochieng would not lose the traumatized spirit again.  

The Seasons traveled in silence for the next few minutes, lost their own thoughts.  One thing kept bugging Jack though.  “Hey, Aria?” Jack called, gaining the Spring spirit’s attention.  “You know how you, Ochieng, and I can fly by using the wind?  How come Ju didn’t?”

Aria glanced back at Jack before shifting her gaze over to Ju.  Her friend had her head bowed, though it was unclear whether it was out of fear or shame.  She sighed and tucked her hands into her pockets before flipping over so she was drifting on the wind currents to face the boys.

“Jack, Ochieng, you know how Ju and I originally explained how our control over the other elements depended on our relationship with whom the element originally answered to?” Aria asked, to which they nodded.  “Well, that isn’t the full story.  Yes, our _control_ depends upon our relationship, but over _how much_ of an element in a given time does not.”  That seemed to confuse the boys even more.

“You see, as our relationships with each other continue to grow, so does our control over the elements.  What originally was a spark eventually becomes a roaring fire, and one drop of water becomes a tsunami.  However, we will eventually reach a point where we don’t have the power to control an element any further, no matter how close our relations with each other are.  This is what Ju and I have taken to calling our raw power over an element.  The more raw power you have, the more of an element you can use.  It isn’t reliant on your relationship with anyone, but rather your own personality, and how well it matches up with an element.” Aria explained, recalling the struggles that lead up to the theory of raw power.  Mother Nature later confirmed they were correct.  “For example: Ju is very nurturing, and can be stubborn and hard working, as well as passionate and clever.  Her personality easily matches up with that of Earth, which is also nurturing and very stubborn but can be patient.  Her gentle yet passionate nature complements that of Fire, which is why she has a fair bit of raw power in that element.  Her coolheaded demeanor mixed with a mostly go with the flow attitude also attributes to her ability with Water.  However, she is unable to let go of her worries so easily, which is important for Wind.  As a result, she has a lower level of raw power in that element.”  The boys’ eyes lit up with understanding as Aria continued on, though the nymph noticed Ju shift uncomfortably in Ochieng’s arms.

“However, just because one has little raw power in an element does not mean they can’t work on their control over it.  After all, how do you think we found out about idea of raw power?” Aria asked in an overly amused tone.  The boys shot the nymph a confused look while Ju let out a small chuckle, realizing what Aria was hinting at.  “I can tell you from experience that it can be very frustrating learning how to control an element from a person who can move boulders larger than North’s workshop while the biggest you can do is about the size of your own head,” Aria admitted, recalling the days when she first started learning how to manipulate earth.  It was a test in Aria’s mostly non-existent patience.

The boys continued to fly as they let what they had just learned sink in.  It did make sense in hindsight, and explained why they had some difficulties with certain elements.  Still, something was eating at the back of Jack’s mind.  “But riding the wind doesn’t take that much power.  It’s more like floating on water than moving a boulder.  You just have to let go of any fear and trust the wind.”

“It’s not that easy!” Ju retorted, still clinging onto Ochieng but looking really uncomfortable.

Aria dropped back from her position in front of the group to Ochieng’s right, smiling at Ju.  “He’s actually right Ju.  And even if you don’t want to trust the wind, you can trust us to catch you, can’t you?”

Ju lifted her face to glare at the nymph, who was smiling encouragingly while holding out her hand.  “You’re going to sing for the rest of the trip, aren’t you?”

Aria couldn’t help but laugh at the question while the boys shot the girls confused looks.  “You know me so well.”

“Well, might as well get it over with, since you are going to do it anyways,” Ju said with a sigh, though she looked a bit more relaxed.  Aria smiled before starting to hum a few bars.

" _I have a dream. You are there.  
_ _High above the clouds somewhere.  
_ _Rain is falling from the skies,  
_ _but it never touches you;  
_ _you're way up high!_ " Aria sang, doing a little dance in the air as the lyrics spilling from her lips. She even included a flip in the air on the second high, to which Ju just rolled her eyes.

" _No more worries, no more fears.  
_ _You have made them disappear.  
_ _Sadness tried to steal the show,  
_ _but now it feels like many years ago._ " Aria continued, smiling at the group.

" _And I, I will be with you every step!  
_ _Tonight, I found a friend in you.  
_ _And I'll keep you close forever._ " Aria threw her arm around Ochieng's shoulders, giving him a one armed hug. Jack couldn't help but laugh at how awkward it looked.

" _Come fly with me_ " Aria released Ochieng only to shoot forward and pull Jack into a corkscrew.  
" _Into a fantasy  
_ _where you can be  
_ _whoever you want to be,  
_ _come fly with me!_ "

The song went on, with Jack and Ju giving up and joining in.  Ochieng did not fight the smile that tugged at his lips as he watched Jack and Aria doing what looked like a dance on the wind.

Admittedly, the song did not succeed in coaxing Juhua out of Ochieng’s protective hold, but the four Seasons were able to laugh the rest of the way to the North Pole.  Not a single one of them noticed the shadows stirring on a nearby iceberg.

“Ah, so Jack has made some new friends, has he?  And they all produced such delightful fear…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rey: It's finally up! Yeesh, it was hard getting into the mood for this chapter. I mean, Christmas in the middle of Fall?
> 
> Lin: I don't know... we seemed to find it pretty easy to write about Juhua falling almost to her death.
> 
> Rey: That was your idea. *totally not sadistic towards our characters*
> 
> Anyway, tante is just the french word for aunt, and saufe was the closest I can get to safe. If anyone out there knows a better word, please tell me. And the song is Into a Fantasy by Alexander Rybak, and is part of the European version of HTTYD2 soundtrack. Sadly, I don't think there is a way to get it legally in America… *goes and cries in corner*


	8. Gifts from the Heart

“Ah, good, everyone is here.”  Those were the first words out of North’s mouth as he entered the room where everyone was.   Juhua and Ochieng both gave him polite greetings from their spot on the couch.  Tooth chirped a quick ‘Merry Christmas’ before returning attention the card game the four remaining Guardians were completely invested in.  Sandy glanced up from his hand and gave a cheery wave.  He returned his gaze to Aster, who was contemplating his own cards.  The Pooka, Aria, and Jack barely gave any acknowledgement to North.

“So, what game are we playing?” North asked, sitting down on the couch beside the fire and the closest to an annoyed looking Aria.  She glared at the Four of Hearts Aster had just laid down.  

“Hearts.  Sandy’s supposedly winning, and Aria’s been swearing up a storm bigger than any hurricane we’ve ever seen,” Juhua explained as Sandy added the Two of Hearts on top of Aster’s card.

Jack’s face broke out into a shit-eating grin as he drew a card from his hand.  “Sorry, Sparks, but this one’s all yours,” he declared, slapping down the Three of Hearts.

“Fils de salope!” Aria exclaimed, ignoring Tooth’s chiding as she picked up a card from her collection.  “Well, if I’m going to take it, might as well take it high.”  The spring nymph sighed and tossed down what looked to be the Ace of Hearts before sweeping up the cards into a neat pile.  She grabbed the Seven of Spades and flicked it down.  The others laid down their cards, Sandy winning the trick with the Jack of Spades.

The next trick went to Aster, who laid down the Six of Hearts followed by Sandy’s Five of the same suit.  In response, Jack set the Eight down on top.  All eyes shifted over to Aria.

“Let’s see, the Ace was my only heart,” the nymph contemplated, looking over the remaining four cards in her hand.  After a tense moment, she tugged one out of its place.  “I guess I’ll just put this one down.”  Her smile gained a rather sharp edge as she threw down the card with a dark chuckle.

The three remaining players leaned in to get a better look before reeling back as if they were struck in the face.  Aster and Sandy burst into laughter.  “Damnit!” Jack cursed.  The frost sprite let out a sigh of resignation, scooping up the cards before throwing down another.  The game wrapped up shortly afterwards.  Jack had earned a total of 105 points while Sandy won with only 37.

“Seriously, Aria?  The queen on top of three hearts?  What did I ever do to you?” Jack whined as the group shuffled over to their seats around the tree.

“You prevented me from Shooting the Moon,” Aria replied dryly as she curled up on one of the plush chairs.

“Ya didn’t even realize ya were Shooting the Moon,” Aster pointed out.  He had settled down into the chair North had specifically made for him.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t still be upset about getting 25 points,” Aria shot back.

“Ah, stop your arguing.  Game is over, no?  So now is time for party!” North interjected, piling all of the presents from under the tree onto a nearby table.  “So, who wants to hand theirs out first?  Sandy?”

The small, yellow man nodded in agreement and floated his merry way over to where seven little bags lay.  He picked them up and gave one to each of the Guardians.  The older ones put theirs off to the side, thanking Sandy without even a peek at the contents.  Jack, not knowing what the others knew, started to open the bag.

“I wouldn’t do that, Frostbite,” Aster warned, seeing the snow imp tugging on the drawstrings that held the bag shut.  Jack raised an eyebrow in question.  The Pooka motioned towards the bag.  “As interesting as it would be to see what a good dream fer ya is, I don’t think ya’d want to have everyone present see it.”  That was all Jack needed to hear.  He pushed the bag off to the side like the rest.

Tooth volunteered after Sandy and grabbed what looked to be seven dental health kits, each sporting a different color.  “This way, I can make sure that you replace your brushes when the bristles get too worn down,” the Fairy Queen explained.

“Bunny, you next!” North decided when Tooth finished giving Juhua and Ochieng their kits.

“How come I knew this would happen?” The Easter Guardian rose from his seat.  The old Pooka grabbed his seven gifts, all rectangular and neatly wrapped.  Tooth and Sandy quickly, but methodically, freed their gifts.  Beneath the wrapping paper, were art books.  North and Aria tore through the paper packaging, all while trying not to lose any of the books that tumbled out.  Jack pulled at the part where the paper overlapped and revealed a hardcover book.

“Myth Hunters?” Jack picked up the book and flipped to the summary.  He scanned it quickly and then noticed a very familiar name.  The frost elf reread the passage before his eyes shifted up to look at the Pooka who was watching him with a grin.

“Yeah, when I saw that, I thought ya’d like it.  Hope ya enjoy it, Frostbite.”  A smile broke out over Jack’s face as he held the book closer.

“Thanks, Bunny.”

North’s gifts were handed out without much ado.  Aria was very shocked at receiving a doll she proceeded to curl around for the rest of the gift giving.  Juhua’s presents were received in a similar fashion.  Tooth scolded the Autumn spirit for giving both North and Aria sugar-filled treats.  By the time it was his turn, Jack was bundled in his new knitted beanie from Aria and the mood-hoodie from North.  He, thankfully, got out of having to wear the new pair of shoes Juhua gave him.

“For the lovely ladies,” the frost sprite announced, handing the three female Guardians their presents.  Aria wasted no time unsheathing a wooden version of her beloved sword.  She gave it a few test swings, which shouldn’t have been very effective given that she was still curled around her new doll.  Juhua and Tooth both chided her before unwrapping their gifts.

“Oh, Jack, it’s wonderful!  Thank you, Sweettooth!” the Fairy Queen exclaimed as she found a tooth brush holder in her gift.  Upon closer inspection, she could see little carved-in baby teeth.  Juhua mirrored the sentiment as she looked over her comb with maple leaves etched into the sides.  The frost sprite bowed his head, trying to hide the icy blush that covered his cheeks as he handed the rest of the Guardians theirs.  North got a kick out of his new Matryoshka doll while Sandy looked ecstatic at his puzzle.  Ochieng tested out the hand carved flute as Aster pulled the paper away from his gift.

“Oi, Frostbite,” Aster called.  Jack hummed in response.  “Where’d ya get the design for the handles?”  The Pooka ran his paw over the vaguely floral design that ran up and down the set of very well crafted paint brushes.

“Oh, I just saw some similar designs while I was poking around in the Warren, and when I asked Sandy for any suggestions for the handle design, he recommended those,” Jack explained in a nonchalant tone, oblivious to the rest of the party staring at the boy who wandered around the Warren for no real reason.

“Thanks, mate,” Aster said with a gentle smile, rubbing the frost sprite’s hair under his hat.  “They’re right beauts.”

“And here I thought Ju and Ochieng were the fluffy couple,”  Aria commented.  Aster’s ears shot up to full attention.  Jack’s cheeks instantly donned an icy sheen as he jumped away from the Pooka.  He stammered out threats to the grinning nymph.  The Pooka looked away, as if the previous scene hadn’t happened.  His ears were pressed flush against his head.

Ochieng got up from his seat and started handing out his gifts when Jack quieted down.  He passed each of the Guardians their presents, which were neatly wrapped in simple packaging.  The older Guardians, at the suspicious encouragement of the younger Seasons, opened theirs first.  Not a second after the wrapping was gone from their gifts, Jack started pulling away the paper on his package to reveal an awesome new backpack with frost design.  He promptly used it to stuff all the remaining gifts he received in it.  

Aria slipped on her new arm guards as Ju pulled the red ribbon off the pale blue box Ochieng had handed her.  It wasn’t that big at all.  It looked like one that often held jewelry, but was a little too big for a ring.  Jack figured it was a necklace as Ju lifted the lid off of the box.

She set it down next to the ribbon and slowly picked up a silver chain.  At the end of the chain, hung a simple ruby cut into the shape of a heart.  Ju stared at the little heart with a slightly haunted, empty gaze, borderline on shocked.

An excited squeal from Tooth broke the moment of silence, startling Ju out of whatever the necklace had caused.

“It is so beautiful!  Ochieng, where did you possibly get that?”  Tooth asked, fluttering over to get a closer look.  

“Oh, I asked a friend if he had any ideas.  He helped me find the materials and we went to some dwarves to have them make a necklace out of them,” the summer spirit answered, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward smile on his lips.  Along with the look Aria was giving Ochieng out of the corner of her eye, Jack figured he was not the only one to notice Ju’s strange reaction.

“I think I recognize this craftsmanship,” Aria commented, examining the necklace.  “Did you ask the dwarf brothers in Rhineland-Palatinate for this?”

“Yes, I did.  They are said to be some of the best gem crafters, even working for royalty not long ago.”  Aria nodded along, eyes still narrowed at the necklace.

“It’s wonderful,” Juhua spoke up, her voice slightly stiff.  The Autumn spirit unclasped necklace before slipping the chain over her neck, attaching the chain in the back.  She then smiled at the young warrior and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  “Thank you, Ochieng.”  The summer spirit gave her a warm smile, though the shadow of concern did not escape Jack’s notice.

The moment was interrupted by North’s hands suddenly clapping together.  “Good.  Now that all presents have been given, it is time for feast, no?”

Everyone got up from their spots and began to follow the Russian out of the room.  Well, everyone minus Aria.

“You guys go on ahead.  I was going to ask Ochieng some questions before the delicious food makes me forget about them,” Aria explained with a seemingly false smile.  The Guardians glanced between the two younger Seasons before shrugging and exiting the room.  Jack and Juhua trailed behind the rest of the group.  The door closed behind them, though not before Juhua shot Aria a warning look, which the spring nymph replied with what was probably supposed to be a reassuring smile.

The Guardians made their way to the banquet hall, chatting and joking amongst themselves.  Juhua did not say a word, playing with Ochieng’s gift.  Jack dropped back to walk beside the distracted spirit.

“Any idea what Aria is asking Ochieng?” the winter sprite asked, raising an eyebrow.  He stuffed one hand into the pocket of his new hoodie while the other gripped his staff.

Ju sighed before releasing the necklace.  “I have a fairly good idea, though it’s not necessarily reassuring.  I’m pretty sure Ochieng is being held at sword tip right now with an overprotective Spring Knight at the other end of it.”

Jack found it funny he could actually picture what Juhua was describing.  It was rather amusing imagining the brave African warrior with a blade at his neck while Aria interrogated him in what could only be what fathers in the modern day called the ‘Shotgun Talk’.  Juhua gave the winter elf a glare, which Jack took as the warning it was and ceased chuckling.  The two continued down the hallway in silence, having been left behind by the older Guardians.

The silence was finally broken when Jack cleared his throat.  “So, what was up with back there?”  At the younger spirit’s confusion, Jack clarified, “In the sitting room, when you opened Ochieng’s present.  You had this haunted look, almost like someone who, I don’t know, just found Nemo swimming upside down.”

Juhua gave a deep sigh, her eyes growing distant once more.  “I assume Aria has told you about how she used to be human and actually remembered her past life including how she died.”  At Jack’s nod, the Autumn spirit continued, “Well, I’m sure she’s told you she has a theory that all of us Seasons were once human as well and, for some reason, some of us have had our memories locked away.  I know Ochieng remembers his past.  I heard about yours from the others too, which means I’m the only one who doesn’t remember.”

“So why don’t you ask Tooth?  I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t take all that long for her to find your teeth and give you your memories back,” Jack pointed out.  Juhua had gone back to fiddling with her necklace again.

“Because I don’t know if I want my memories back,” Juhua replied, not looking at her companion.

“Why wouldn’t you want your memories back?” Jack asked.  He recalled wandering around the world for three centuries, frightened and alone.  The Winter Spirit had no idea who he was or what he was supposed to do.  Admittedly, Juhua wasn’t left alone like he was, but surely she also experienced that doubt and fear he knew so well.  Surely with everyone around her able to recall their lives while she was left alone in the dark about hers, she would want to know too.

“My memories are gone for a reason.  I may not know what that reason is, but I know it must be a good one.  Besides, what matters is who I am now and not who I was then.  I don’t need my memories to know what is important at this moment.”

Jack could understand what the girl was trying to say.  Even without their memories, they had become the Heralds of their respective seasons.  Ju had even become a full Season and Guardian.  But still... “Don’t you ever get curious, though?  Don’t you want to know why you?  Why were you, out of everyone else, chosen to be not only a seasonal spirit, but a Season and a Guardian?  What did you do to make Manny and Mother choose you out of everyone else?”

“I do,” Ju admitted quietly.  She let go of the gift before reaching down to grab a hidden necklace.  This one was simple in design, just a jade pendant attached to a length of red silk string.  “I wonder why this necklace, out of all the personal artifacts I probably had, my conduit.  Why is it I feel as much guilt as I do happiness being with Ochieng?  Why does it feel like I’m betraying someone else for him?  Why was I under all of those rocks and toppled buildings?  I ask myself these questions everyday.  Sometimes, I nearly do ask Tooth for my memories.”

“Then why don’t you?” Jack pressed.

“I remember how much pain Aria’s memories bring her,” Ju stated, tucking the jade necklace away.  “She tries to hide it, but they really do hurt her; especially the ones about her family.  Every time I am about to ask Tooth, I remember just how hurt Aria looks when she talks about her family and I just can’t do it.  Perhaps it is better to remain ignorant than face the burden that knowing causes.  You understand, don’t you?”

Jack paused for a second to think about what the Autumn spirit had said.  Back when he didn’t remember, he spent so much time alone.  This fed into his fear and caused him to yearn for his memories, so that he could maybe find some place he could belong and call home.  When he first got his memories back, he was just so ecstatic; he had a family!  Not only that, but he saved his precious little sister.  It wasn’t until after the whole mess with Pitch had died down that it finally sunk in that he had drowned.  The family he once had had moved on with their lives, grown old, and passed on.  Even then, it wasn’t so bad, as he now had a new family.  The Guardians had accepted him, welcoming him in as one of their own.  He was no longer alone, but that did not take away the sting of knowing that his sister had gone on to have a family of her own before passing on to wherever the dead go; that his mother had to bury her first born and only son so soon after his father.

“Yeah, I understand.  But that doesn’t mean I regret getting my memories.  It is your choice if you get your memories back, Ju.  Just choose what you think will make you happiest, and we’ll support you no matter what,” Jack concluded, sending a comforting smile to the younger Season.

Ju smiled back.  “Thank you, Jack.”

Jack then nudged his head over in the direction of the banquet hall.  “C’mon.  We better hurry before North sends Phil to come get us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lin: Yay! We did it! After so many months of nail pulling, I finally got Rey to finally write this chapter! And on her birthday, too!
> 
> Rey: Great, now can I go die in a hole like my body wants me to?
> 
> Lin: No, because we need two more chapters before the fun begins.
> 
> Rey: I don't know, the next one will be fun for me. And besides, in my defense, I wrote the gift giving before Christmas, but then life, and the fact that I can't easily write Juhua got in the way. Lin wound up writing several of Ju's lines.


	9. Beyond Moonlight

North’s reminder of food dissipated the nervous tension in the room.  Sadly for Ochieng, Aria decided to intervene and ask to talk with the former Summer Knight before he could escape.

Saying Ochieng was nervous was a gross understatement.  He was stuck with the reason the Spring Court was feared for two centuries.  It did not take a genius to know that the subject of this talk would be Juhua; a sensitive spot for the nymph.

The African warrior took his eyes off Aria to glance at the door, sending a prayer to anyone listening that a savior would appear.  The Guardians would most likely not interfere with North dragging them off to the Yuletide feast.  Ju and Jack could be ruled out, given that, while Jack was very lax, both greatly respected privacy and would not interrupt something that was most certainly personal.  That only left the yetis, elves, and the mysterious Mrs. Claus, whom Ochieng assumed must have existed by the ring North never took off even if it was on the wrong finger.

Sadly, any hope of something stopping this talk was thrown out the window with a flash of silver and a faint breeze that tickled the darker Knight’s neck.  His eyes snapped back to Aria, who was now only a few feet away, the tip of her extremely sharp sword pointed right at his throat.  Her eyes stormy sent poisonous knives at him.  They stood there for a moment or two, Ochieng glancing between polished metal and eyes resembling the jade pendant Ju wore.

“What,” Aria finally spoke, snarling and showing some impressive amount of teeth. “Did you do to Ju?”

Ochieng could not suppress the chill that ran down his spine.  While he knew that the nymph would not attempt to remove his windpipe with her teeth, it was hard not to imagine that exact scenario with the way she was growling.  She reminded him far too much of a lioness protecting her cubs.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Ochieng replied in as calm of a voice as he could.  He just needed to keep his cool and continue to breathe.  He had been in worse situations than this while on the Summer Court.  After all, Aria would not even think of using lethal force… yet.

“Liar!” The sword tip bit into Ochieng’s throat, drawing a small bead of blood.  The summer spirit backed away from the blade as best as he could, though it didn’t do much good when his feet felt stuck to the floor.  “That necklace you gave her triggered something!  Set her off!  Now you will tell me what!”  In almost any other situation, Ochieng would have been impressed by how the spring spirit managed to enunciate her words with her teeth moving no further than a millimeter apart.  That not being the case, all he could do was picture her teeth coated in his blood.

“I swear to you, I have no idea what did that!  I did not mean to cause any harm, especially to her.” The tip of the sword did not drop, though Aria did stop snarling.  Ochieng took this as a sign to continue. “You have known both of us for over 200 years.  Do you honestly believe that I would give Ju anything with the intention of hurting her, purposefully or not?”

Aria did not speak.  She continued to stand there, studying Ochieng as if she was probing for something.  After what felt like an eternity, she closed her eyes with a sigh and her shoulders relaxed.  She stood at ease, sheathing the sword without glancing at the Summer Knight.  The tension in the former Knight faded, replaced by a look of weariness Ochieng did not expect.

Suddenly, she seemed older, more battle-worn, and, dare Ochieng say it, resigned, though the African spirit did not know why.  Neither spoke while the Spring Knight gathered her thoughts.

“The necklace...” The broken silence made Ochieng jump, snapping back to attention.  “That was a courtship gift to Ju, wasn’t it?”

Warmth flared across Ochieng’s cheeks, though it was hard to tell by looking at him. “Wh-what makes you think that?”

Aria settles him with a look.  “I may not have many spirits climbing over each other for an attempt at my hand, but do not forget that I am French.  And while I hate stereotyping, we belong to a plane of existence where belief is everything.”  Ochieng’s face grew hotter as the other knight explained.  Oh no, why couldn’t it be Jack that he was having that talk with?  While it’d still be just as embarrassing, at least Ochieng could somehow manage to turn it around on the ice sprite like he did a while ago.

The nymph left Ochieng to his mortification for a light while longer before cutting in.  “I don’t see a problem with your wishing to court Ju.”

Ochieng’s attention snapped back to her, eyes growing to the size of yarn balls.  “What?”

Aria sighed before shaking her head.  “I don’t have a problem with you wanting to court Ju,” she reiterated, sounding a touch annoyed now.  “It’s clear to me that you both like each other and I’m not going to step between that.”  Ochieng felt both his cheeks burn even more, but could not hide small smile growing on his features.  Aria, the overprotective spitfire of the Seasons, was granting him permission to court Ju?

“However,” Aria added. “If you should put one toe out of line, hurt Ju in any way...” The nymph stalked over to the Summer Knight, who was now backing away from her.  He only got a few feet back before his back hit something solid.  Aria continued forward, eyes hardening back into ice shards.  Reaching him, she leaned forward and  _ purred _ into his ear.  “Well, surely you know what my generation of countrymen are famous for.  Now,” she paused, glancing over his face before meeting his eyes. “Do I make myself clear?”

All Ochieng could do was nod.  His voice had abandoned him as his knees fought to stop quivering.  While the summer spirit had been trained his whole life to fight for survival, never once had he met anyone who exuded a killing intent as strong as hers.  It was taking everything he had just to remain standing.

The two spirits stood there with only the sound of their heartbeats, each studying the other.  Suddenly, as if a switch flipped, Aria’s cold leer brightened into a near childlike smile.  “Good!  Now I’m glad we cleared that up!”  She spun around on her heel and headed for the door, not once looking back at the darker spirit.  “Come on, let’s go meet up with the others, I’m starving!”  

Ochieng stood rooted in place, not moving until the door clicked behind the nymph.  Then he collapsed on the floor like a puppet without strings, his senses barely registering anything around him.  Oh Moon, did he pray this was a one time encounter with whatever it was the Spring Knight had been.

* * *

Moonlight filtered through the tree branches, glistening off the snow coating the forest.  Silence hung in the still air.  Not a single creature stirred in their burrows, peacefully snoozing away the cold night.  There was only one place that the moonlight did not reach.  The hole sitting in the middle of a clearing once lay hidden beneath the skeleton of a bed, though it had been months since the denizens of the forest had seen the old wooden frame.

A loud crack accompanied by a swirl of colors suddenly appeared a few feet from the hole.  Two figures leapt out of the vortex as it closed behind them.  The smaller of the pair crept closer to the abyss while the other hung back, scanning the forest.

The smaller figure reached the edge of the hole and crouched down, setting down a small box tied together by a simple black ribbon.  Slightly obscured by the bowtie was a note written in neat handwriting that read, “ _ For Grandfather Kozmotis Pitchner.  Merry Christmas _ .”

“Are you done yet?” the taller figure asked, glancing at the smaller one.  Upon receiving no response, they let out a sigh.  “Look, if we’re not back soon, Sandy will notice our dreams haven’t taken and he’ll go see what’s up.  And how do you think the others will react if they can’t find us?”

“I know, Aria, I’m almost done,” the smaller figure replied, staring down into that darkness while moonlight shone upon them.  With one last sigh, the figure stood up and returned to Aria’s side.

“Don’t you think it’s lonely?” they asked.  Aria tilted her head and shrugged at the smaller figure, prompting them to continue.  “I mean, we have others who’d offer their homes up to us if we needed a place to rest.  We have people who care about us and check up on us.  He doesn’t have any of that.  He’s forced to live each day clinging to the shadows with no spirit even wanting to be seen with him.  Even Jack wasn’t reviled by all in the courts like this.”

“Yeah, it sounds pretty lonely, being completely outcast by even your own kind, but you mustn’t forget why he is.  Remember all the chaos he brought?  The destruction he caused?  The lives  _ he _ took?”  Aria replied, eyes fixed on the hole as if she was expecting something to creep out of it.

“That wasn’t Kozmotis!  That was Pitch!  He never would have done that if he were himself!”

“I know, Ju,” Aria cut into her partner’s protests, remaining calm under the fall spirit’s glare.  “I know that what happened wasn’t his fault, but not everyone sees it that way.  Please remember that because of Pitch, there is no more Golden Age.  It’s because of what those creatures made Kozmotis into that all other intelligent life on other planets has been wiped out.  Why there is no other planet with magic on it.  Why Bunny is the last of his kind.  I do agree that we shouldn’t blame Kozmotis for the crimes committed by Pitch, but you can’t forget that not everyone sees them as separate people and they won’t hesitate to take their anger out on him, an innocent man who’s already been tortured for eons.”

The two stood there, letting Aria’s words hang in the air.  Slowly, the fight left Ju as her shoulders slumped forward.  “It’s not fair.  I thought spring was supposed to be about hope and renewal.”

“It is,” Aria agreed.  “But it’s not spring for him, not yet anyway.  And even if it was, he’d have to face the fallout for Pitch’s actions.”  Aria sent her friend a small smile.  That was one thing they had yet to really warn the boys about.  No longer did they represent just one aspect of their seasons, but their entirety, from the gentlest breeze to the harshest storm.

The two stood somberly there for a while longer, breathing in the cold air.  The moonlight danced around them, reminding them of the being that watched over from afar.  Finally, Aria held up a snowglobe and gave it a good shake.  Without another word, she tossed it a few feet from her and Ju and both stepped through the vortex that appeared before them.  The only evidence they were ever there were two sets of footprints and the small present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rey: It's done, it's finally done! After over a year of dancing around and life getting in the way, the muses have smiled upon us and granted us this chapter!!
> 
> Lin: It's about damn time. This editor is appeased.
> 
> Rey: Sorry, the muses hate me, it seems. Though, interestingly enough, Aria's eye color has changed twice in the time it took to write this chapter, from green rimmed with hazel, to lavender, then to a jade. I have no idea how that happened…


End file.
